Attic Stairs Across Joists

One will be used as your stationary the other you ll cut header it off and put your attic stair in.

Attic stairs across joists.

Where possible pick a size and location for your attic ladder that enables it to fit between existing ceiling joists or trusses. In the case of 2x6 joists you can pair them up with additional 2x6 joists by nailing them together side by side. Part 6 shows you how. Saw through the joist s being careful not to cut through the ceiling and making sure the cut ends of the joist s are flat and vertical.

The screw should be between two joists. Sistering is the process of adding a new joist next to each existing joist. 2 how much weight could the ceiling joist hold. Hopefully the attached pictures provide additional info.

Cut the drywall straight across between the two joists connecting the ends of the two cut lines on the far edge of the attic access hole. Now that you ve cut your joists it s time to frame the new opening. Single story house built in the 1940s. Most homes will have a ladder of stairs that lead up to the attic.

Ceiling joist are support by a wall that runs roughly down the middle of the house. When a load is applied to a joist it creates a tension in the wood along the top edge. Step 3 before cutting the joist first brace it to prevent sagging as you re cutting it. Ceiling joist are 2x4.

Attic ladder kits are made to fit between existing framing in the ceiling that is the flooring of the attic. Sometimes the ladder may fit into an existing attic accessibility hatch. Click here to purchase the easy access attic ladder by werner. Standard joist spacing for the installation of attic flooring materials is 16 inches on center oc meaning the distance from the center of one joist to the center of the next joist is 16 inches.

If the attic joists are not adequate one way to strengthen the floor for live loads is to sister the old joists.