Laying Loft Flooring

[dee5]

I stupidly agreed to put floor panels down in my mums loft. Mainly beacuse i am the only person in my family small enough to get up there and stand up! Do you think this will take long and will we have to take everything out of the loft or can i just move it to one side and then move it back? Oh and will a hammer be ok to use or shall i get one of them nail gun things?

[dee5]

Yeah i actually thought about the nail gun thing after i posted it. Im only planning on doing my mums! Might have no nails or fingers left by the end of the day but never mind i will use a hammer!!

[merrymac]

screwed mine down ,easier to take up

[dee5]

Ok might be a stupid question but why would you want to take it up?

[merrymac]

to make it easier to rewire my house at a latter date and get at other pipe work

[dee5]

Ok never thought about that!! I will speak to my dad and see if he wants me to screw them in or nail!!

[jake-the-peg]

Also if the ceiling below is plasterboard there's a risk that using a hammer will pop a few nail heads and need making good

[dave1969]

screwed mine downI as well if you start nailing you well end up cracking the ceiling below

[EDLEE]

A nail gun or screw gun are really your best choices and I'd probably go with the screws for the reasons mentioned above.

Keep in mind that ceiling joist are seldom as deep as floor joist and cannot safely be loaded as one would a floor.

[almcd007]

Borrow another electric screwdriver/drill so you have two - one with the drill bit to pre drill and one with the screwdriver bit to drive the screws home. Buy a drill bit that drills and countersinks for a neat finish. I cleared a corner of my loft - boarded it and just moved everything onto it and then boarded the rest - depending on the loft - should only take about a day. Think about putting a light up there while you are doing it and maybe a socket - it saves you doing it at a later date and havng to lift the boards.

[tezestwing]

Hi dee to days technology allows to buy screws that drill screw and even counter sink themselves in all you need is a good cordless drill with x 2 batteries have a few trial runs to get the clutch set so you don't snap the heads off premark joist lines onto the boards with straight edge or chalk line approx every 300 mm centers

[tezestwing]

sorry dee seemed to get cut off that is fix a screw every 300 mm approx along the line into the joist below beware of cables and pipes

[McNoodle]

Next time, keep your mouth shut! Pick a cool day to do it - it gets hot up in a loft on sunny days.