Need advice on putting down beams in the attic

[OM2]

We've recently had extra insulation put in the attic
We got this for free as part of a grant the council were giving out

We had to empty the attic

I need to use the space for storage

The guys that did the insulation said that I could just get extra beams and lay them down the opposite direction to the existing beams

I wanted to know, how do I screw the new beams in?

The existing beams would be 5cm across and 10cm down
I thought I would need to put the new beams down in the same way - i.e. instead of 10cm across and 5cm down - does that make sense?

Do I need to get screws that are longer than 10cm and screw directly down?
This seems the only logical way!

ALSO: how do I part the insulation? How do I cut it?
(Is the answer: use a really really big pair of scissors!?)

ANY advice would be great

Thanks


OM

 

[^woody^]

What about these instead?

 

[OM2]

What about these instead?

interesting
i thought great idea at first
the only thing is, i can't see any screw holes
+ would it be better to simply use bits of wood to do the same?

i.e. get a plank of wood - the same as the existing wood planks
and have small bits - say 15cm in length?

let me know

thanks

 

[Deluks]

Just get your regular 4x2 and install in the opposite direction as you planned. Get some 80mm screws and screw in diagonally from the side. Space apart according the width of your boarding. If your insulation is compressed due to the new joists, then run a sharp knife alongside the joist, through the insulation to allow the insulation to spring up to full height. If that makes sense.

 

[OM2]

Just get your regular 4x2 and install in the opposite direction as you planned. Get some 80mm screws and screw in diagonally from the side. Space apart according the width of your boarding. If your insulation is compressed due to the new joists, then run a sharp knife alongside the joist, through the insulation to allow the insulation to spring up to full height. If that makes sense.

thanks. that helps a lot

4x2? what's that? is that a wood beam?

i'll do diagnol screwing as u suggest - would this be better than a vertical screw?

sharp knife? ok, this is the bit i wasnt sure about!
stanley knife - not long enough
take the kitchen knife - not a good idea + the wife might find out
what knife do i use
ok... all of that sounds really like a dumb question! but i'm scratching my head because i'm not sure

EDIT: where would u recommend i buy wood from?
tr*vis perk*ins? w*ckes? b*q? or maybe try to find a local timber merchant?

ALSO... I have a problem - I have to transport using my 3 series bmw - so I'm not sure if I can transport without buying a roof rack - any ideas about this!?
My plan was to have the wood cut into smaller pieces so I can fit into my car to transport - is that a bad idea?

thanks

 

[big-all]

i personally don't like the legs they dont spread the load over the joists like timber does they also increase the unsupported span by 45% so require thicker boards or more legs for the same strength

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You may be surprised how long a piece of timber you can stick in your car, I shouldn't worry too much, just take your saw along to the supplier and cut them down to suit. You won't be the first person to get their saw out in a Jewsons carpark!

 

[OM2]

You may be surprised how long a piece of timber you can stick in your car, I shouldn't worry too much, just take your saw along to the supplier and cut them down to suit. You won't be the first person to get their saw out in a Jewsons carpark!

lol
thanks
i'll do as i say

 

[Space cat]

4x2? what's that? is that a wood beam?

That's the old imperial size. It's 10cm x 5cm to you. I might be wrong here but, if you're putting them across the existing joists, I don't think you need such deep beams. The span, being the distance from one joist to the next, is short so you shouldn't need anything over 75mm depth - unless you need it to clear the top of the insulation.

 

[OM2]

well... i would have assumed u need to do that - clear the top of the insulation
else if u press does in anyway, then u lose the insulation however much u press down?

let me know what u think

thanks

 

[Space cat]

Yes, you do need to clear the top of the insulation. It's the layer of air trapped in it that keeps the heat in. If you squeeze it you might just as well have used thinner stuff in the first place.

I thought maybe you were using 10cm deep beams just because that's what was in already, ie for reasons of mechanical strength.

 

[flameport]

the only thing is, i can't see any screw holes

They don't have screw holes, but the plastic is of a kind which you can easily drive screws into.

 

[leeco]

You may be surprised how long a piece of timber you can stick in your car, I shouldn't worry too much, just take your saw along to the supplier and cut them down to suit. You won't be the first person to get their saw out in a Jewsons carpark!

I used to get some right lengths of timber in mr crappy astra like 4M long. I used to put the passenger window down and have them sticking out about 2 meters.