Is 18 mm chipboard too heavy for loft?
 

I am clearing out the loft and want to lay chipboard over the central
portion. (This is a three bed 1950s ex-LA semi.) Part of the loft has
already been covered with 12 mm chipboard, which, while a bit
'springy' under foot, is after all only supposed to be walked over to
get from one side of the loft to the other. That is, no cheapo "study"
area or play area or something, but merely to stop me (or others)
putting their foot through the plasterboard (which I did do once, and
it was a real nuisance).

But 18 mm chipboard seems very heavy! At Homebase tonight I lifted the
corner of a 2440 x 1220 sheet, and I thought, boy that sure is a
weight to be adding to my poor old house!

One alternative I have seen used elsewhere is to use unplaned softwood
and space it out so that there is a one inch gap between adjacent
boards. Softwood isn't nearly so dense as chipboard, so it must be
quite a bit lighter.

Recommendations, please!

Thanks.

MM

Is 18 mm chipboard too heavy for loft?
 

On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 23:29:13 +0000, Mike Mitchell
wrote:

I am clearing out the loft and want to lay chipboard over the central
portion. (This is a three bed 1950s ex-LA semi.) Part of the loft has
already been covered with 12 mm chipboard, which, while a bit
'springy' under foot, is after all only supposed to be walked over to
get from one side of the loft to the other. That is, no cheapo "study"
area or play area or something, but merely to stop me (or others)
putting their foot through the plasterboard (which I did do once, and
it was a real nuisance).

But 18 mm chipboard seems very heavy! At Homebase tonight I lifted the
corner of a 2440 x 1220 sheet, and I thought, boy that sure is a
weight to be adding to my poor old house!

One alternative I have seen used elsewhere is to use unplaned softwood
and space it out so that there is a one inch gap between adjacent
boards. Softwood isn't nearly so dense as chipboard, so it must be
quite a bit lighter.

Recommendations, please!

Thanks.

MM

I simply used ordinary T&G floorboards laid and fitted using screws. I
didn't make gaps. Where needed, I ripped the tongue to make a board
removable easily.

These worked out to be relatively inexpensive because I found a timber
merchant who had overstocked.

It was certainly a lot easier to work with them than messing around
with chipboard floor panels. I just took a chop saw up into the loft
and arranged that SWMBO would periodically pass up some more boards.
It went quite quickly and painlessly.


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

Is 18 mm chipboard too heavy for loft?
 

On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 23:39:34 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote:

On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 23:29:13 +0000, Mike Mitchell
wrote:

I am clearing out the loft and want to lay chipboard over the central
portion.

But 18 mm chipboard seems very heavy!

One alternative I have seen used elsewhere is to use unplaned softwood

Recommendations, please!

Thanks.

MM

I simply used ordinary T&G floorboards laid and fitted using screws. I
didn't make gaps. Where needed, I ripped the tongue to make a board
removable easily.


.andy


[T] If you can't find any cleap T&G like Andy suggests whatabout
some 12 or 15 mm shuttering ply?

It's not as 'dense' as chipboard and won't turn to Weetabix if it
get's wet?

I'd rip it down the middle (giving 8' x 2') so you can get it in the
loft then stagger the joints on the rafters?

I'd also screw them down in a couple of places (rather than nailing)
so they don't move while you are laying them and you can get them up
if needed later.

All the best ..

T i m