loft boards

How Much Weight Can Loft Boards Hold?

Loft boards enable you to declutter your home whilst keeping it organised and structured. Although, there is a reoccurring question of how much weight they can hold.

As the loft is one of the most useful places to hold (and hide) all your belongings, you should be aware of what to store in the loft and how to store it safely.

How Much Weight Should You Store in Your Loft?

Each home is different of course, but it is usually the strength of the joists in your loft that is the limiting factor on loading weight, not the strength of the boards. Many loft joists, especially in newer properties, are designed primarily to support the weight of the roof with only a small amount of storage capacity (usually at least 25kg per square metre plus the weight of someone accessing the loft, as this is the current British Standard minimum), so bear that in mind when planning your storage. Ideally, spread any weight across the entirety of the loft floor so that it is not concentrated in one space. Overloading the joists could cause them to bend, which will cause cracks in your plasterboard ceiling below. If you are not sure how strong your loft joists are, and as long as they are approximately at least 2″ by 3″ in size and made of good quality timber, then we don’t recommend exceeding the 25kg of stored possessions per square metre figure.

Regular loft joists will support around 40kg per square metre but, if you are looking to store a heavier load, you will need to replace your boards with stronger ones that are equipped to hold those heavier loads. 40kg may seem like a lot, however comparing it to an average human beings’ weight, it is not as much as you think.

Remember – loft joists are intended to support the weight of the roof and ceiling, nothing else. If you are considering having more than 40kg consider our StoreFloor boarding system which can hold up to 500kg per square metre! That is over 10X the amount that is recommended on a regular boarding structure!

Correct Structure

The boards in a loft were historically laid across the joists, so as to take the weight of any luggage and boxes, as well as yourself. However this has the disadvantage of meaning that your insulation is only as deep as the joists and it also traps air underneath the boards, preventing humidity from ventilating away.

That’s why most people these days use a raised loft boarding system (such as our StoreFloor) above the insulation, which will also create a structure that gives your loft the breathing space it needs. This ventilation improves airflow and prevents condensation which can ruin some stored items. It also allows space underneath for any wires, cables, and insulation. StoreFloor also acts as a lattice beam to strengthen the joists. It comes in two heights, depending on how much insulation and head-height you have in your loft.

StoreFloor can be easily installed in almost all loft types – old and new!

Contact the LoftZone team today!

LoftZone is an award-winning product, scroll to the bottom of our online page to compare the differences between us and other raised loft deck methods.

Our team of loft experts are always happy to answer any questions or help you to make the most out of your loft space. Give us a call on 01483 600304 or drop us a message to sales@loftzone.com. View our YouTube channel to see LoftZone StoreFloor in action!

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