Folding Attic Stair Recomendations?
madmadscientist
| Posted in General Discussion on
Hello All,
I’ve looked thru the archives and know that there are really nice all wood attic stairs that would work perfect for me. The problem is, I don’t have the room in the attic for a non folder. Ideally I need the stair to take up no more ‘floor space’ in the attic than the opening.
I’m looking for recommendations for a good-strong durable folding attic stair that reach a ~10′ 6″ floor to floor distance. This stair will be used frequently enough that I don’t want it to be rickety.
Thanks,
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
Replies
Any of the big box stores will have them. HD, Lowe's, etc.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
Rigth I know they got them but they look flimsey and cheap. I was looking for a rec on one that someone had used that was not so flimsey and cheaply made. I know that none of these type of attic stairs are going to be as sturdy as the non-folding type. I'm just looking for the least crappy one.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
I installed a Werner from Lowes last month in my garage. Handles 10 ft + ceiling height, 300 lb rated, steel construction, not wood.
Pleasantly surprised by the quality and ease of installation. Opening is 22 1/2 X 56"
Only installation issue was lifting in place, but it quickly hangs on flange until bolted in place. As a sturdy steel ladder, it is not light weight.
Ladder closes flush with bottom of bracket, if you elect to drywall the ceiling later and wish to have the door close over the drywall, drop the bracket the necessary spacing for drywall.
anwalt
Thanks for replying,
The finished opening is 22 1/2 by 56"? Thats better than what I have now which is a 20 by 16" opening.
What's your take on the quality of the ladder?
thanks,Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
I have an aluminum tread and sides with wood frame/door in our garage. Firm and light (sort of ) to fold and lift. Floor to bottom of opening is 10', I built a last step in the opening between the I-joists.
There's an accordian/scissor type that comes straight out (non folding) once you lower the door, but I'm sorry-cannot remember the name. Modern Builders Supply here in the Ohio area carries them. Unique, not cheap. If you need the name I can contact my supplier.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Hi Calvin,
I believe that the accordian type is made by rainbow but I have not heard how sturdy-stable they are.
Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
That sounds like the one. Sides look like interlocking chain?
They had a display and albeit it was only 6' high, felt good. The developer of the idea was presenting it at the MBS builders show.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
but they look flimsey and cheap
They do, but they work. MFS, Memphis Folding Stair makes as good a unit as a person could ask for--they've sold to box stores before.
A lot of the rigidity comes from mounting the frame into the ceiling, so the floder can look as floppy in the box as a pre-hung door casing.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Thanks I'll check into Memphis Folding Stair. I've looked at the Werner and think 'Dang its going to be hard to walk up that steep ladder while carrying a box.' If I could find a ladder with a hand rail that would be excellent.
thanks,Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
'Dang its going to be hard to walk up that steep ladder while carrying a box.'
Actually, "up" is easy, it's the "down" that's tough ('cause there's never anyone around to help, but the box must be down or the whole house gonna be as unhappy as momma is . . . )
My MFS has just the one handrail, and occasionally I wish it had two, like the 70s vintage ones in my dad's house.
One other thing, from the location you have, you are going to want to cipher which way the 54" dimension will "stick out". Your existing 24 x 18 (nominal) opening will have a header of sorts across it to frame it in. One of those is coming out, 'natch; but it's nice to leave one--unless that means the top of the stair is at a low point in the roof. (I'm still amazed at the number of drop stairs installed the wrong way--ought to be with the slope of the roof not against it.)
It's a good idea to look for a "landing pad" along the opening about halfway down to the sides, too. (That way, the xmas stuff only goes up far enough to set it on the landing, then you climb to the attic to put it way--which is good if you need to keep pets/chilluns out of the attic in between trips.)Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Check Louisville ladder to. http://www.louisvilleladder.com/2006PriceList.pdf Thats the link to their current US price list and here to their catalog. http://www.louisvilleladder.com/ProductCatalog.pdf
I am currently building and I have one of their big boy series on order, unfortunately up here they are short on supply. I'm in Canada and the local supplier of them sold it to me 30% bellow the Canadian list price. This more deluxe ladder ended up the same or slightly less cost than the standard one being sold at the local home depot. But Home depot did have the standard one in stock and this one I have to wait 6-8 weeks :-(
Another option anyways.
Happy ladder buying
MadMad Dan, Go with rainbow, great insulation factor (R-19 I believe) seals air-tight(like a refrigerator door) and accordians out so no need for swing-out space like the wood ones. The door is spring-loaded for easy closing and opening is done with a "hook" that fits a catch on the door that is flush with the door, so no cord hanging down, either leave the hook leaning next to the wall or you can hide it away so the kiddies can't get up in the attic, unless you PUT them there! :).
Installation is a two man job to lift it into the hole, but once up you simply use the supplied diagonal brackets to hold the unit in place, then fasten and remove temp. brackects and your done! There are several sizes avaiable, sorry I don't know the web address. Cost for one for an eight foot ceiling was $500 including delivery from the dealer(lumber yard about an hour away). I highly recomend these units! They also have a small handrail on one side.
Geoff
P.S. almost forgot, this unit can be installed into a finished ceiling, the trim is same as you find on a commercial steel entry door, 2" or 2 1/4" wided with a slightly rouded edge, nice and neat and no trimming required!
Edited 11/8/2006 6:51 pm ET by Geoffrey
I put a Werner fold up ladder in for a customer last June. I got it at Lowes and was really impressed with it. All aluminum and VERY stout.
Getting it into the opening was a two man job, but once it was there, final installation was a breeze - even though I had to read the instructions step by step since it was different than what I've installed before.
Doesn't the Werner ladder need more space than the opening to swing out the bottom section? The model we looked at (300# rating) needed a 6' clear area horizontally to unfold the stairs.
Edited 11/7/2006 6:04 pm ET by TJK
I have very successfully used a folding attic stair sold by Resource Conservation Technology (410) 366-1146. The unit is made in Scandinavia, so is more expensive than the usual HD/Lowes sort of thing. BUt it is very stable, and well insulated. I installed it by myself.
Bob Chapman
That looks nice but the RO is only 23" wide. I need something wider than that. With my ceiling joists being ~16" OC I like the idea of going as wide as I can while only having to cut one joist.Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
I have used stairs from CalvertUSA. They cary about 30 diffferent models and many sizes. I put in one a few years ago that was an aluminum scissor type. It was real nice and sturdy, had a hand rail and was about $350 then. The same unit was almost $500 when I checked this summer, but still worth it. I also got a wooden folder that fit into a very narrow hallway presentation. They are in southern Maryland and ship nationwide. They have a web site.
Good luck, Kimball
I put it in a garage with a drywalled ceiling and - when it was opened - the "foot" was probably a little past the edge of the ceiling opening. The opening was "standard" size since the folks who framed it had no idea what kind of ladder was going in.
This ladder was basically the same size as the typical wooden drop down ladders - but way better (IMO) because of the aluminum construction.
The Rainbow is one darn solid unit, think you would need the Red model. I put one in my garage, same 10'-6" ceiling height. Very strong, but quite a steep angle of ascent and descent. Does have a handrail.
Downside is cost, mine ran around $850.oo.
Let's not confuse the issue with facts!
Yea it looks nice on the website but its twice as expensive as most of the other units.
I like that I can get it in 30" wide opening-every inch counts when you are trying to wrangle your holiday decorations up and down.Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner
The wide opening IS nice. I also does not need a lot of swing out room, and can clear a nearby door header better than most any other ladder. That came in handy because I needed it to clear my garage door opener.It also has a decently insulated and about as well sealed access door as any unit I've seen. Did I mention it has a handrail and is colourful!It also has a very secure mounting system that actualy makes it easier to install than some, and more secure than most for sure.Let's not confuse the issue with facts!
I just replaced one a week or two ago. My local lumberyard had a Werner catalog that showed all their options, up to 30" wide I believe, and for varying ceiling heights. I just needed the 22", and wound up getting it from the orange box because they had it in stock. But find a dealer, look through their catalog. You'll probably find something to fit your needs.
Edited 11/8/2006 12:59 pm by SBerruezo
This is the rainbow accordian type I installed for a friend.
Space was more of an issue than constant use. SO we used the accordian type. No hand rail. not easy with your hands full. Strong? yes! easy to install? yes!
But if you want stable stairs that will be used daily or several times a day... get the fold out with a hand rail.
I installed one of those Werner aluminum ones with the the gas shocks instead of the springs. It went in easy, and has worked very well so far.
I would highly recommend the Rainbow stairs - they are an accordian type but one hell of a stair. I had a customer who went thru 4 big box stairs from all the usage. Said "I'll pay anything for a good stair" well they did, around $900 plus labor. Went in is 15 minutes after removing the old one. It has threaded rod and metal brackets that go across the corners and just tighten. It has metal casing for the trim and comes with extra steps for a 9' ceiling. Go for it
Go with the Werner that Lowes stocks. I've put in about 6 of them and they are nice units. These stairs go in easy and allow for a wider opening since they dont have springs to hold the stair up.
Try this if no one else has mentioned them.
http://www.bessler.com/
The besslers are real nice 'one piece' stairs but I don't have the attic space for it. The bessler folder isn't tall enough unfortunately.Daniel Neuman
Oakland CA
Crazy Home Owner