Who's any good or knows anything?

I'm puttin up a floor for storage in my unit, and need to know if the flooring panels i've got will do.

They say maximum 600mm centres max. Does this mean the gap between the batons i've fixed to the wall?

 

600 centres mean say from the left side of the joist to the next so the gap between the joists should be 550mm if you using 2 inch thick joist hope this makes sense lol

 

joists are 1 3/4" roughly and gaps between them is about 60cm. not all exact cause i just held them up marked and drilled/fixed brackets. pretty much though.

would you recommend i keep the boards i got then saying max 600mm? The bigger boards i was considering only say 450mm max...

 

Depending on the weight that you are going to put up there, obviously the narrower the joist centres the stronger the floor will be, and also depends on the span of the floor and the size of joists you are using, most storage mezzanines I have seen or removed usually have 22mm T&G chipboard caber-flooring but again it depends on what you are putting on it.

 

once all finished i'll be storing parts for my escort project. only enough room to stand up on a 3rd of it since we have a low sloping roof. it's 3.2m x 3m.I'll take a pic now to show what i mean...

Boards are 18mm loft flooring panels.

 

Here's the pics:

Just checking the smaller boards i have are best cause bigger ones are cheaper but might not be useable.

 

To me those look really too far apart for storing stuff on, I`d want another one inbetween each one. But I am only a spark sooooo........

 

yeah this is my opinion also (im no expert either)

what about doubling up the flooring? maybe run the 2nd deck the other way

i would always air on the side of caution, wouldnt want that coming down on someone

 

I've not finished with the batons between but was going to put lots up, trying to keep it low cost at moment since i might have to do other side and need all spare cash for escort. the parts i put up there will be in cardboard boxes mainly, couple bumpers and hubs etc. i can hang off a joist and it only bows a bit (second from the end furthest from wall) and i'm not featherweight at 16st.

I figured if i drill the boards and screw them down like every 3 inches they'd keep it all nice and strong since they're TnG?

I'm a detailer not builder, so it'll be neat enough lol. Just wanna make sure the flooring won't go through when i'm stood up there. I can always fire loads of bits between the joists like i've started doing...

 

if i was going to do that i would have used 6inch joists with 600mm centres and i also would have fixed a joist to the wall and screwed the joist hangers to it.

 

also forgot to say that the flooring needs to be glued aswell as screwed

 

are they 4x2 joists? as they look too thin tbhid be wanting atleast 5x2 and if i was using it for storage id be going for 400 centres, id personally go for 6x2 tbh and t & g ply

 

you deffo want 6x2 and 400 centres or if you can put a hanger( piece of chain would do) down from the roof to help with the sagging or you might get a short sharp shock one day

 

As said mate the joists you have used do look a bit on the small side that sort of span should be 45mmx150mm (6x2) minimum, I know you said it's only for storage but the trouble with storage space is you keep finding things to put up there "you should see my loft it's like Jewsons back yard" plus you will be walking on it as well.

you could halve the span by running a 7x2 joist parallel with the last joist at a lower level then Tee of that one with a hanger and go underneath you're existing joists, but by the looks of the photo you probably won't be able to get a fixing for a joist hanger on the wall with the blocked of doorway

But see how you go you could always do this later if it looks a bit dodgy when you get some weight on it (but don't forget to take the stuff of it first)

 

600 centres refers to the distance between the centres of the joists, not the gap between them. The boards are 2.4m long to accomodate this spacing - with wider or narrower spacing you won't be able to have all your joints resting on a joist, and that is the most important factor in determining the strength of the floor - you could break off an edge of a board but you won't go through the centre of one.

I'd also want to think about the weight pressing on the steel roof truss because it is designed to be held under stress, not compression. (Or is it the other way around?)

For bumpers, trim bits etc I don't think you would have much to worry about but engines, gearboxes, lots of starter motors/alternators/struts I'd have another think about things.

 

4x2 should do ok just for storage unless your puting up anything really heavy but i would have put them in at 400 centres. flooring panels all come in sizes that fit in with either 600 or 400 centres so will work in if marked out properly but id also make sure the end joints land on a timber joist , id also put a 4x2 runner bolted into the wall under the joists you have fitted on hangers plus the joists would have been better with a bit more overhang on the metal roof truss, they look awfully near the edge.

 

as said above mate would have used bigger timbers. Id definatly be using 22mm tongue & groove flooring and glued aswell, dont bother with joints on timbers just run through on full sheets from one side and stagger the joints back the other way should tie it together well

Failing that fuck them noggins out and slide some more timbers between and nogg again

 

some mixed reviews there then. i was relying more on tieing it all together to spread the weight evenly. The metal can take it though, deffo. It's an old farm building built to last, and it's been tested by a forklift being a little too high by accident lol.

I'll have a look at it over next few days, wasn't expecting quite so much response but glad of it guys

just for the record, the boarding in the pics is just offcuts of mdf i put up there so it was out of the way while tidying. I'll probably fire 4 more joists in between the outer most from the wall. The hangers are fixed to wall with 6 screws each and feel more than up to the job, joists are screwed into hangers with 3 screws each, and at other end to wooden baton via angled brackets, which is fixed to metal roof structure with 3 screws positioned around each joist fixing point (bottom and side).

The panels i have are loft panels from Wickes (http://www.wickes.co.uk/Channel-Drai...ls/invt/116420). They say on the pack, max centres of 600mm. that means nothing underneath it between joists? but the bigger boarding needs smaller centres of 450mm.

Thought the smaller ones would be weaker, or does smaller panels with stagger make for stronger since more tng joins??

one last thing, do i HAVE to glue as well as screw? i wanted to be able to take it down easily if i need to and just leave the brackets. also on the lookout for some cheap aluminium loft ladders if anyone knows of any...