Strengthening loft floor

[JDLDIY]

Our 1960's house suffers from poor joinery throughout and definitely in the roof space. We need to use the loft to store stuff and I guess there's a fair weight up there - I stress just storage the headroom isn't sufficient for living space. This has meant that the ceilings suffer from cracks and as I am decorating I want to fix this problem once and for all. So, I am thinking I need to strengthen the ceiling somehow - at the moment the ceiling joists are only 35mm x 95mm, looks like the same as the rafters to which they are attached. It is not a truss roof.

What can I do? Thanks a lot

JD

 

[noseall]

summil beams or ceiling binders are often used to take the sag out of ceilings. its simply a hefty piece of timber, say 50x 200mm, 75x 225 etc. these need to run from solid wall to solid wall, (or wall plate to wall plate)with the ceiling joists fixed to it.

 

[JDLDIY]

summil beams or ceiling binders are often used to take the sag out of ceilings. its simply a hefty piece of timber, say 50x 200mm, 75x 225 etc. these need to run from solid wall to solid wall, (or wall plate to wall plate)with the ceiling joists fixed to it.

Hi there, thanks. I've never heard of the summil beams - I'll look that up. So, where exactly do these beams run in relation to the existing ceiling joists, above them at right angles? I want to put flooring down on the joists to store stuff on, you'd run the flooring up to the extra beams?
The house is approx 9m by 7m with the joists running the 7m. Obviously there are internal walls so I guess I could run to those with these beams but to find a length of wood 9m long is unlikely isn't it?

 

[noseall]

officially you're not supposed to inflict too much weight upon ceiling joists. but at least by using a ceiling binder (spot on by the way, above the joists and at 90 deg) you give your self a chance, with the sacrifice of having a hulk of timber in the middle of your floor! are there no internal walls to help carry the weight?

 

[JDLDIY]

are there no internal walls to help carry the weight?

Well, possibly there are. Some of the internal walls are brick which could bear some weight but some are blockwork, which looks as if it would crumble if it had joists resting on it. Couple of questions if I may;

Would it not be best to run extra joists alongside the existing or would this be difficult to do in practice?

How would the binder be attached to my gable ends?

How would the binder be attached to the ceiling joists?

Thanks again!
JD

 

[noseall]

all of the work in the loft depends largely upon accessability. yes you can go the whole hog and feed newer thicker joists between existing provided you have a mid span bearer, as 7m is a bit too mutch to ask for single span. normally joists are fixed down into the wall plate and into the rafter ends. ceiling joists are "skew" fixed up into the ceiling binder. a ceiling binder would be built into your gable ends.

 

[noseall]

p.s. are you thinking of taking the roof off?

 

[JDLDIY]

p.s. are you thinking of taking the roof off?

Christ no, why?