MAKE YOUR WAY CAREFULLY THROUGH ATTIC
Plus, choosing a durable wood-look flooring that can withstand dogs and grandchildren
Q What’s the best way to walk around safely in my attic? We live in a three-storey townhouse and I’d like to ensure no wild animals have set up a home and there’s no water damage. I can’t just walk on the insulation, can I?
A That’s a great question because there’s a lot at stake.
The first thing to understand is that there’s not much structural support underneath all that insulation. If you were to remove the batts or loose fill that’s there, you’d find pieces of 1-1/2”-thick lumber placed on edge every 16” or so. These are called joists, and fastened to the bottom edge of these joists is the drywall that forms the ceiling of the room below. All this means that the only safe place to step is on the edges of the joists. If your foot goes between the joists you’ll simply break through the drywall, and possibly fall through the ceiling.
Things get more complicated with insulation in place. Besides not being able to see where the joists are, the insulation layer is almost certainly much higher than the height of the joists. This means if you simply put a board down on the attic floor, it could (probably will) put enough pressure on the insulation to damage the drywall ceiling below.
There’s one more complication. Most roofs have roofing nails bristling through the roof sheathing. Bumping your head against these nails is an experience you won’t forget.
So, how can you safely inspect your attic? The simplest approach is to see what you can see from the attic hatch, and leave it at that. You can see quite a bit from up there, so it’s not as lame an approach as you might think. A strong flashlight will go a long way to help you see signs of water damage. And while you can’t examine the edges of the attic floor area where they meet the roof from the access hatch, that’s not usually something that has to happen often.
As for animals, even a mouse moving around in an attic is surprisingly loud at night when you’re in the room below. Squirrels sound like a bear and a raccoon sounds like an elephant. If you’re not hearing noises above you, it’s almost certain there are no animals up there.
If you really do need to walk around in your attic, the safest approach involves removing insulation in the pathway you want to follow, fasten some 2x8 or 2x10 lumber to the top of the joists, then replace the insulation. You can part the insulation when you want to go for an attic walk.
DOG-TOUGH FLOORING
Q What kind of tough, durable, wood-look flooring should I consider at for my upscale country home? I love the look of hardwood, but I have dogs and grand kids. I want something that’s tough, waterproof and won’t swell.
A I really like something called vinyl plank flooring. You can get it in realistic wood grain patterns, it’s extremely tough and unlike laminate flooring it doesn’t even need a particularly flat subfloor to sit on. Different manufacturers offer vinyl plank flooring in all kinds of styles, but don’t decide only based on what you see in the store. Buy a box or two of a version you like, set some pieces on the floor, then live with them for a while. That way you can see how it performs, especially in terms of how dirt shows up. There’s nothing like trying some flooring out on a small scale before making a final decision.
Steve Maxwell has been helping Canadians make the most of their homes in his weekly newspaper column since 1997. Join 30,000 people who get his free Saturday morning email newsletter each week.