How To Store Stuff In Garage Attic 2x4 Joists

If your attic joists won t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage you can install inch plywood or.

How to store stuff in garage attic 2x4 joists.

The ceiling joists in my garage are 2x8 spaced 24 o c and span 21. That means you could lay a 2 x 4 ft. The proposed storage area would be in the middle and back part of the house where the center wall would help hold things up a bit and like i wrote before some ties could be made to the overhead roof rafters. To make the area more useable and secure now i want to put in 5 8 plywood over those 2x4s.

I d like to use the space for light storage holiday decorations etc but i m not sure if the joists are up for the task. Nail the board to the joist and rafter with two nails at each spot. Place the board vertically with the ends overlapping the ceiling rafter and the joist. If you want to put down flooring in your attic and want more insulation underneath that floor then you need to increase your joist size.

Sistering 2x6 joists next to your current 2x4 joists will simply give you a new floor height of 5 1 2 inches as opposed to the current 3 1 2 inches. If you have an attic over your garage these joists also bear the load of your attic flooring and any materials you store in the attic. The previous homeowner may have simply covered the joists with plywood to use the space for storage. The horizontal bottom chords of most garage trusses are designed to carry the weight of drywall and insulation.

The roof load appears to be carried by the walls so the joists seem to only be in place to hold the drywall. While this is not the optimal setup it is acceptable to have ceiling joists covered with plywood or osb to use for light attic storage of dead loads. So if your ceiling is unfinished you have some excess carrying capacity up there. Is a safe estimate.

Originally i just put loose boards down over the horizontal 2x4 base of the trusses. In attics built purely for storage purposes you may find 2x6 ceiling joists or in some cases even 2x4 joists. I suspect they re meant to be installed in joists at least 6. Reinforcing garage attic trusses for storage area i have an attic above my two car garage that i have been using as a storage area.

If you need a storage area above your garage strong ceiling joists are necessary to support the added weight. Cut a 2 by 4 inch board to match the distance you measured.