How to Install a Drop-Down Staircase

Install the Drop-Down Staircase

• 1

  Measure your desired location. Once you have found a desired location, measure the distance from the floor to the ceiling, and make sure that it matches the ceiling height on your chosen stair kit. The stairs must have enough room, both below and in front of the desired installation location, for the ladder to fully extend outward and down. The floor below the installation space should also be level to prevent the ladder from wobbling while it is in use.

• 2

  Create an opening. Check the frame dimensions of your drop-down staircase and use that as a guide to mark a rough opening in the ceiling from which the ladder will descend. Make sure there will be enough clearance on all four sides of the opening for any extra trim that may extend from the framing square. Once this is done, and you have made sure that the joices are free of electrical wiring, cut through all the building materials (joists, insulation, drywall) with a saw or utility knife to create the rough opening.

• 3

  Frame your rough cut. The frame for your your rough cut will consist of two sets of two headers (the ends) and two joist braces (the sides). Most drop-down staircases are installed parallel to the ceiling joists, so that fewer ceiling joists have to be cut. For parallel installation, on one end of the opening, nail one of the two headers into the center ceiling joist and the two outer ceiling joists, then nail a second header into the previously installed header. (The headers will be doubled up on each end). Repeat the process on the other end of the opening. Next, use a clamp to hold the joist brace to the ceiling joist one side of the opening while you drill them together. Repeat this process on the other side.

• 4

  Hang your ladder kit. To support the ladder assembly, screw the 1-inch-by-4-inch wooden strips onto all four sides of the opening in the ceiling. Next, use the shims to guide the stair assembly into the center of the opening; using your assembly kit's instructions, secure your assembly into place. Once the ladder is in place, the wooded strips can be removed.

• 5

  Trim the ladder legs. Measure from the last fold-down hinge to the floor on one leg of the ladder, then the other. Next, measure from the last fold-down hinge to the end of the leg. If the measurements from the hinge-to-leg are longer than the hinge-to-floor measurements, use the hinge-to-floor measurements to trim off the excess length of the ladder legs. If you have a chosen a metal ladder kit, you can simply add or remove steps to the ladder.

• 6

  Add the finishing touches. Cut the molding trim pieces to the measurements of the ladder assembly perimeter; nail them in place. Paint them if desired.