How to Add an Attic Ladder to a Garage

Measure the door panel for the attic ladder kit you purchased. Transfer the same measurements to the location on the ceiling where you plan to install the ladder, using a carpenter’s square to ensure you draw straight lines.

Cut through the drywall ceiling, following the lines you drew, using a drywall knife. Cut through any joists that lie within the cutout, using a handsaw, and remove the joists from the ceiling.

Place 1-by-3 boards three inches from both ends of the opening in the ceiling and drive wood screws through the boards and into the ceiling, anchoring them. Cut 1-by-8 boards to the dimensions of the cutout in the ceiling and drive wood screws through where the boards meet.

Climb into the attic opening using a ladder and have an assistant pass the wood frame through the opening and up to you. Lower the frame into the ceiling opening, resting it on the 1-by-3 boards and drive wood screws through the sides of the frame and into the joists.

Climb down from the attic and turn the wood screws holding the 1-by-8 boards to the ceiling counterclockwise, removing the screws and the boards. Position one side of the hinge that came in the ladder kit against one of the short ends of the access panel and drive the screws enclosed in the kit through the mounting holes in the hinge piece and into the access panel.

Place the loose end of the access door’s hinge against one of the short ends of the wood frame in the attic opening and drive the rest of the enclosed screws through the hinge’s mounting holes. Attach the drum springs to the ends of the long sides of the attic opening’s frame, using wood screws, with the drum springs sitting directly above the access panel’s hinge.

Attach the cable pulleys to the long sides of the attic access frame, using wood screws. Position the pulleys 20 inches from the short end of the frame that is opposite where the access door’s hinge is anchored.

Insert the attic ladder’s steps onto the metal framework if the stairs are not completely assembled. Drive wood screws through the sides of the ladder framework and into the sides of the steps, anchoring them. Tighten the bolts on the sides of the ladder frame using a wrench.

Position the unfolded ladder in the attic opening, placing the ladder’s mounting brackets against the access panel. Drive wood screws through the mounting holes in the brackets. Pull the cables out of the spring drums you mounted to the wood frame and place the looped ends of the cables over the holders on the ladder’s frame. If the access door does not close all the way, unhook the cables from the holders and wrap them around the spring drums twice before reattaching them to the cable holders.