If you look around your home and feel like you’re running out of storage space, perhaps it is time to utilize your attic. By placing flooring in your attic, you can store and access more items. You could even convert your attic space into a spare room. Think about it- do you want an art studio? How about a playroom for your children? Give them the attic! There are many things you can do with your attic by simply adding some proper flooring.
Once you’ve established the joists in your attic that can support flooring, there are many types of floor you can choose from. But should you use carpet, wooden flooring, laminate, or tiles? We’ll go into detail on what to consider when selecting attic flooring later in the article. For now, look below to see our top picks for attic flooring in 2023!
The Attic Dek Flooring Storage System consists of a pack of four flooring panels. Each panel can support up to 250 pounds. In addition, the four panels combined claim nearly 10 square feet worth of space, so you can finally utilize the unused space in your attic for an affordable price!
The panels are lightweight and easy to install- the shape of the panels allows you to click them into place before attaching them to the beams on the ground, meaning installation should take no more than 15 minutes.
Accessing wires or pipes is easy because the panels easily lift up. Two notches are also cut out of the side of every panel, so sending wiring through them is a breeze.
The Sunnyglade Wood Plastic Interlocking Flooring Tiles are easy to install, thanks to their interlocking base. These tiles require no glue or nails and have even spacing between each tile.
Made from wood-plastic composites, they are water, decay, and swelling resistant, meaning these tiles will last you years to come. They are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
Each tile has 144 contact points to provide even weight distribution and great stability. With each tile measuring 12×12 inches and six tiles per pack, in total, you get 6 square feet of space.
These tiles are available in a thickness of 3/8 inches. Each tile measures 24×24 inches and is available in different-sized quantities. The pack sizes include a pack of four measuring 16 square feet, six measuring 24 square feet, nine measuring 36 square feet, 12 measuring 48 square feet, 15 measuring 60 square feet, 18 measuring 72 square feet, 20 measuring 80 square feet, and 25 measuring 100 square feet.
These faux-wood tiles come in several colors: light bamboo, cherry, carbon, walnut, mahogany, slate, and white oak. The tiles slat together like a jigsaw piece and will assemble easily onto any hard floor surface.
The Smabee Modular Interlocking Cushion Tiles come in packs of 12 tiles. Each tile measures 11.5 square inches, making a pack of 12 tiles cover slightly over 11 square feet.
Made from durable plastic and easily fitted together, these tiles are super easy to clean since you can just mop or wipe down the tiles. You can even unclip them and put them in a dishwasher on low heat if you prefer.
These tiles come in various colors, including black, blue, gray, green, red, white, and yellow. You are sure to find a shade to suit any room in this collection. You could even buy a few packs in different colors and mix them up.
Now that you know more about some of the best attic flooring available on the market, we recommend checking out our buying guide below to help make your choice easier.
With so many attic flooring options on the market, choosing the best one for your needs might feel like a daunting task. However, if you consider the following factors, you’re sure to find the best product for you in no time.
Many people believe that you can simply place decking over attic joists to turn an attic into a habitable room. Although this is the case In some houses, in most homes, the original joist structure supporting the ceiling below was never designed to hold anything other than the ceiling drywall.
To make sure it is safe to add flooring to your attic space, you should get a structural engineer to take a look at your attic. If your attic floor is not safe to convert into a living space, steps can be taken to make it suitable. Alternatively, you could put a floor down just to use as storage, which might make it unnecessary to have any work done.
Your attic might be cleared by an engineer to use as light storage if the joists don’t bear the weight necessary to create a living space. If this is the case, you can install oriented strand board or ½-inch plywood.
The board or wood needs to be made of panels measuring 4×8 feet if it goes over 16 inches on center joists. Joists spaced at 24 inches on center require thicker ¾ inch plywood, so they don’t sag.
Measure the amount of space you want to cover. This is the first thing you should do after your plywood has been laid. It might be a good idea to buy slightly more carpet or tiles than you need in case you have any issues with a tile or make mistakes when measuring.
Hardwood flooring is perfect for those wanting to make a modern-style loft. Pair dark wood with light walls and light wood with dark walls. Hardwood floors look particularly fabulous in conjunction with exposed joists or beams.
Alternatively, a hardwood floor can look traditional when paired with antique furniture, antique mirrors, and floral designs throughout the room. A smooth floor is achieved by using interlocking boards. A rustic look is better achieved by using individual boards.
For something softer underfoot, opt for carpet flooring. This is the perfect option to convert the loft room into a bedroom or den, as carpet flooring will give the space a more cozy feel. It will also help to insulate the room.
A short pile carpet has short individual fibers and is known as a flat pile. A long pile carpet has long fibers and is known as a shaggy carpet. A shorter pile carpet is more robust and more durable, whereas a long pile carpet is softer.
A longer pile carpet is also more susceptible to furniture indentations. However, it might be worth it because lots of people love the luxurious feel it provides.
Carpets come in a broader range of colors than wooden floors. You will likely be able to find a carpet that suits the style of your attic. You can use the splash of color provided by the carpet to tie in the other pieces of furniture in the room.
Using a carpet as flooring in your attic will also act as a sound insulator and will help to dampen the sound of heavy footsteps.
There are several reasons why you might want to use laminate flooring in your attic.
Laminate flooring can be designed to look like real wooden flooring at a fraction of the cost. Usually, the more you pay, the more realistic the design will be. Laminate flooring is available in different colors and designs, and they don’t necessarily even have to look like wood.
Usually, the top layer of laminate flooring is both water-resistant and scratch-resistant. For this reason, if you are changing the attic into a child’s playroom, laminate flooring is a good option since spills and light scratching won’t be an issue.
Laminate flooring is also a lot easier to clean than a carpet. Simply sweep and mop the floor with a mild detergent.
A tiled floor is the best option for storage in the attic. We aren’t talking about smooth kitchen or bathroom tiles, but rather plastic or rubber tiles. These are a lot less expensive of an option and are very easy to install.
Look for tiles that are water-resistant and scratch-resistant. When moving boxes around your attic floor, you may find scratches unless you opt for this feature. A water-resistant floor is a good idea in an attic in case you develop any leaks in the roof.
The tiles you use for your basement flooring should either fit together like a jigsaw piece or clip over an interlocking deck. These designs allow for easy installation and often do not require any extra tools.
You can pay more for stylish tiles or opt for a base that is more practical than aesthetically pleasing. The choice is yours – we wouldn’t blame you for opting for a cheaper, more practical option simply for storage purposes.
The price of attic flooring can range from as little as $40 for a pack of tiles and as much as $500 for a full carpet or wooden floor.
Before you buy a product, we recommend reading its accompanying customer reviews. Read the positive ones, but pay extra attention to the negative reviews. Consider if you are willing to take a chance that you may have the same issue with a product as somebody else who has posted a negative review. Look at other reviews and see if there are any commonly recurring issues with the flooring.
To choose the best attic flooring, we consider how easy it is to assemble and how much it costs. We also figure out how the flooring feels under our feet and how good it looks, as well as its durability. We read many customer reviews to choose only the most highly rated and popular products. We do not recommend anything we would not purchase ourselves.
A: Attic insulation normally needs changing every 20 to 30 years. However, this can vary depending on weather conditions, and attic insulation can begin degrading after 15 years.
A: For material and labor, a contractor will charge on average $550 to lay a plywood floor in an area of about 10 square feet. You could do the job for $190 if you have the proper tools and basic carpentry skills. That number is the average price for the cost of the screws and plywood.
A: An attic can be considered a bedroom once it has a solid floor put down and meets the requirements of space. To be considered a bedroom, the attic must have at least 70 square feet of space. This is generally enough space to fit a single bed and a bedside table. If you are turning an attic into a bedroom, make sure it has enough ventilation and light. Skylights are a great addition that adds character to the room and ceiling fans should only be used if the ceiling is high enough.