What Type Of Plywood To Use For Attic Floor

Start with the attic floor.

What type of plywood to use for attic floor. Plywood comes in large sheets. You need 3 4 inch plywood. The recommended thickness of the plywood subfloor is governed by the spacing of the joists. There are many grades of plywood as it s used for everything from subfloors to cabinetry.

If your attic joists won t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage you can install inch plywood or. The national wood flooring association recommends a minimum plywood panel thickness of 7 8 inch for joist spans of 19 2 to 24 inches and a minimum plywood panel thickness of 5 8 inch for joist spans of 16 inches or less. Plywood is a necessity in many diy and construction projects but not every type of plywood works for every project. An attic can be floored with 1 2 cdx plywood if it is being used only for storage.

1 x 6 3 spruce is a step up from pallet quality wood but makes a fine usable floor in an unfinished attic space. Plan to pull up the flooring and layer new. However the same can t be said if you are planning on using the space as a living space. It might seem impossible to haul it up to the attic.

To make the job easier use a circular saw to cut the plywood sheet first into 2 2 8 strips which will be much easier to handle. But if the floor is covered in plywood you can t stuff enough insulation beneath it to do the job sufficiently not even in warm climates. Because the simplest and cheapest way to insulate an attic is to add material to the floor. Cut the plywood into manageable strips about 10 inches wide to make the job easier.

In that case you will need to use 3 4 thick plywood. If your plywood subfloor is too thin it might not cope with the load and it might creak or squeak when you walk on it. Another option is to skip the plywood flooring altogether and use dimensional lumber. If you plan to finish the floor in the attic and turn the room into a living space however you.

Some experts suggest that 15 32 inch plywood should be standard if the underlying floor joists are spaced 16 inches apart or less but slightly thicker 3 4 inch plywood should be used for joists spaced further apart. Notice i did not recommend either particle board or oriented strand board osb. These do not have the strength of plywood and will immediately fail if loaded when wet. The cost savings is insignificant compared to the extra support offered by the thicker material.

As an alternative 3 4 osb can be used. But there s no real reason to use plywood thinner than 3 4 inch. The cheapest grade usually cdx will work fine for your floor. The many types of plywood can differ in materials number of layers rating and grade.