The Best Way to Deck Your Attic

Use the wasted space in your attic for storage by adding decking across the ceiling joists. Utilizing precut tongue-and-groove attic decking alleviates the need to cut down 4-foot by 8-foot pieces of plywood, eliminates the necessity to leave a 1/8-inch space between the pieces of decking to allow for expansion and is a less expensive alternative to molded, plastic decking materials. Plastic decking pieces can cost about five times more per square foot than precut tongue-and-groove plywood decking.

Tape measure
Precut tongue-and-groove attic decking
Circular saw
2-inch by 4-inch dimensional lumber
Drill with screwdriver bit or hammer
4-inch nails or wood screws
2-inch wood screws or nails

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the area in your attic you want to cover with decking. Leave about 4 to 6 inches of space between the exterior walls and the floor for air circulation.
- 2
  Purchase 24-inch by 48-inch precut tongue-and-groove attic decking equal to the space you measured. These cut pieces of plywood decking pass though the opening for pull-down attic stairs without the need for additional cuts in the wood.
- 3
  Lay the pieces of decking across the ceiling with the joints between each piece of decking positioned in the middle of a joist. Stagger the decking joints across the attic by cutting down the length of the first set of decking to 16, 24, and 32 inches with a circular saw, or leave it at 48 inches depending on the amount of space between each joist. Ceiling joists are spaced 16 or 24 inches apart depending on the builder.
- 4
  Position the first piece of decking in a corner of your attic. Lay the first row of decking by snapping the tongues and grooves together on each end of the decking pieces.
- 5
  Cut three 2-inch by 4-inch pieces of dimensional lumber to fit perpendicularly between the joists if a joint does not fall on top of a joist. Nail two of the pieces of wood to the joist to support the sides of the 24-inch-wide decking and one piece to support the center of the other 24-inch-wide decking. Use 4-inch nails or wood screws to drive through the joists and into the pieces of wood, securing them flush with the top of the ceiling joists.
- 6
  Drive 2-inch wood screws or nails though the pieces of decking on each side of the joint and into the joist. Begin at the edge of the decking and drive a nail or screw every 6 inches. Drive two additional nails or screws through the decking at each joist that does not fall on a joint.
- 7
  Lay each additional row of decking across the ceiling joints, repeating the 2-inch by 4-inch supports when the joint falls between a set of joists.

How to Cover a Stucco Ceiling

How to Mount Drywall to Trusses

Ceilings