Safely Walking Through Attic Beams

Keep it cool did we mention it s hot in the attic.

Safely walking through attic beams.

Robert from winnipeg manitoba asks about the safety of walking around in his attic. It is held in place by the ceiling joists which inside the attic become the floor joists. After that ensure you have adequate lighting so you can see your work. The safest way to move around an unfinished attic is to create a catwalk or walking platform by attaching some 1x6 or 1x8 boards or strips of 3 4 plywood to the joists with screws don t use nails because the hammering might disturb the drywall or plaster ceiling below.

Same goes for your boxes. Set down an old sheet in your work area and under the opening into the attic to catch any debris so it doesn t fall into the rest of the house. Now if you re carrying a flashlight that may limit you. That could be two feet and one hand two hands and a knee your thigh and two hands usually when you re trying to squeeze toward the soffit eave area or any number of combinations.

Use the 2 x4 pieces to walk on picking up the one behind to place infront of the one you re standing on. If you try to stand on the ceiling you could poke a hole in the drywall and fall right through. First let s be sure not to fall into the room below. If your attic doesn t have a floor you can gingerly walk on the edges of the wood ceiling rafters the ones that support the ceiling of the rooms underneath your feet or you can lay a couple of pieces of sturdy plywood down to use as a sort of plank to get you from one truss to the next.

This is where the holster and the head lamp come in handy.