How to beef up 2×6 ceiling joist to use attic for storage
I have a rancher style home with 2×6 ceiling joist rafters and 2×6 roof joists rafters. I would like to use my attic for storage of normal house hold goods such as seasonal decorations, clothing, books, files, paperwork, etc., not sure of exact weight of items to be stored. I have purchased 3/4 inch plywood to apply to top of the ceiling joist rafters to use for the attic flooring, but I am concerned about the span of the 2×6 rafters as they span 12 foot in one section and 16 foot in another section, all ceiling rafters are on 16 inch centers. My concern is that once I install the 3/4 inch plywood flooring and start using the attic for normal household storage I may start to see the ceiling plaster start to crack due to the weight of the flooring and storage. I am wondering if I can get away with either sistering a ripped down piece of 5 inch x 8 foot plywood to the center of each joist to prevent sagging, or a 2×6 sistered along the entire length, or a 2×8 along the entire lenght would be enough. My budget is tight so I want to use the least expensive method to beef up the ceiling rafters. If someone could please advise me what they think would be the best and least expensive way to go I would greatly appreciated it.
Replies
As long as you are not dancing nor storing reams and reams of paper records weighing thousands of pounds in your attic, a simple 3/4" plywood floor over your rafters should be fine. No beefing up needed.
If you have something heavier, simply place it close to the wall instead of in the center of the ceiling joists.
How do you intend to get the sheets of plywood up there?
But remember -- People who live in grass houses shouldn't store thrones.
No way are joists that size adequate for an attic floor. Especially the ones spanning 16'. You need to sister them with joists deep enough to span that distance.
I've heard the arguement before that you're not going to store that much up there. But how much is "that much"? How much will the stuff that's stored up there increase over time. (The old rule oif thumb: Stuff expands to fill the available space) How much will the next homeowner store up there?
I strongly suggest doing it right, and not cutting corners.
You can save money and effort by using 1/2" ply instead of that 3/4". There is no need for the thicker material and it weighs more.