Attic Walkway Over Insulation

The attic walkway is constructed so that sits above the horizontal chords of your attic.

Attic walkway over insulation.

Place a 2 inch by 3 inch board directly on top of the joist nearest to the edge of the attic with its largest. Walk to one end of the attic by carefully stepping only on the wooden ceiling joists. In many others. Place the first plywood sheet on top of the 2x structure starting by the attic entrance.

The trail you leave in the attic can easily end up tracing a path on the ceiling below. In some houses this may be the case. Always cover the tops of the ceiling joists to make sure the insulation is deep enough to reach your target r value and to prevent thermal bridging the heat loss that occurs through the wood framing. Work from the perimeter of the attic toward the door or hatch so that you don t trample all over the insulation you just put in.

You could also lightly spray for insects over fiberglass if needed. This is because the horizontal chords are the strongest part of the attic. Because of this the space is able to supporting heavy loads. Exposed floor joists can cause condensation on the inside of the ceiling peeling paint and nail rusting.

The floor must extend beyond the insulation so that the insulation is properly covered. The blown in insulation can be blown right over the ductwork. However if you need to make it narrower i would recommend standing some unfaced blanket insulation on end along the edges of the walkway to hold the loose. If you displace insulation in order to move around in the attic don t forget to put it back as you leave.

A common misconception is that it takes little more than the installation of some decking over the attic joists to ready an attic for move in.