How to lay a wooden plate OSB floor in the attic?

by Staenis | 13/01/2022

How to lay a wooden plate OSB floor in the attic?

Do you want to use your attic as a storage place or extra living space? Then it is best to ensure an even and finished attic floor. That is not only practical and aesthetic. With a finished attic, your home will increase in value. Time for a crash course in wooden plates or rather OSB laying in the attic. In no time you will discover a quick method to install and insulate your attic floor.

Laying wooden plates in the attic: how do you do that?

Laying wooden plates in the attic is usually done as follows: a wooden support structure is installed on the attic floor, to which wooden OSB plates of 18 mm thick are screwed. This floor structure is sufficient if you are going to use your attic as storage space and you want a walkable attic floor. If you want to turn your attic into a full-fledged living space, you can place another floor finish on top of the wooden OSB panels. A feasible scenario for an experienced handyman, at least if the attic floor is nicely flat from the start.

Tip: Is your subfloor not the same everywhere, or do you also want to insulate your attic floor? Then the work is more complex. Fortunately, there is a handy DIY system: the Staenis grid. With this you can easily and quickly lay an even attic floor. You don't even have to provide a wooden supporting structure. If desired, you can insulate your attic floor in one effort. Even if you have no experience, the result is flat and strong. Watch the video and discover how it works.

Laying a wooden OSB floor in the attic: the common pitfalls

Why install your wooden OSB attic floor with the levelling grid from Staenis, instead of using a wooden supporting structure? The Staenis grid saves you time and energy. Moreover, you are assured of a professional result. Placing a wooden grid with beams, on the other hand, is complex and a lot less easy. In addition, there are several pitfalls:

Problem 1: You have to get the heavy beams in the attic

It starts with preparing your materials. For example, you have to drag the heavy wooden beams to your attic floor for your grid. To prevent you from damaging your stairs, door or skirting boards, you must protect your entrance, stairs and corridor with plaster or tetra cardboard (floor protection on a roll). In many homes it is not even possible to get into the attic with 3 to 4 meter beams and they have to be sawn into 2 pieces.

Tip: if you choose to lay your wooden OSB floor using the Staenis grid, you don't need wooden beams. Your box of supplies (slats and adjustable legs) can be carried up the stairs without much effort. So no dragging with heavy materials, and you don't have to cover your stairs.

Problem 2: You lose time cutting each plank to size

Measuring how long your planks should be, sawing each plank to size, adjusting where necessary with a rocker saw… It all takes a lot of time, so you don't get along quickly. Frustrating! In addition, not every attic is suitable for sawing planks. In such a case you have to do this elsewhere (eg outside). Not convenient. Additional annoyance: Planed planks can warp, making it difficult to install flush.

Tip: if you install your wooden OSB floor using the Staenis grid, you do not need to provide a wooden supporting structure. The grid system consists of slats and height-adjustable legs, which you can easily click together and adjust in height with a screwdriver. You can easily shorten the slats for the edges with a grinding wheel. Visit a Sack DIY showroom to see the system with your own eyes.

Problem 4: Your wood structure can become skewed

If you use L irons to attach the wood structure to the ground, you will have to drill into the substrate to secure the irons with plugs. That makes a lot of noise and takes time. It is quite possible that the L-irons are set too low or too high. You will then have to put a block under it, or grind the iron off.

Additional problem: if the surface is not completely flat, you will have to adjust the L irons and the planks (knock it off) to be able to place all the beams nicely upright. But afterwards the height of your supporting structure may no longer be correct. That's how you keep busy, indeed!

Tip: if you are going to work with the Staenis grid, you can easily place the legs of this grid level. You take your laser, and put all the legs at the same height with a screwdriver. Secure them by spraying a dollop of polyurethane foam on them, so that the height adjustment remains correct. You can also fill in the top of the legs with a mortar, in this way you increase the load-bearing capacity of the floor structure. Learn how it works here and discover the ideal floor structure for your project (with insulation screed or dry fillers).

Problem 5: You have to cut any utility lines into the wood

When installing OSB in the attic, you should cut any utility lines into the wood. Then you can (finally!), place the wooden OSB plates.

Good to know: if you are going to lay wooden OSB panels in the attic using the Staenis grid, you will have to cut less into the plastic to provide space for utility pipes.

Laying OSB plates in the attic with the Staenis grid

If your attic has a stable, concrete floor, it is possible to use the Staenis grid for a solid and even floor structure. Combinations with a wooden grid are also possible, provided that the subfloor is stable enough.

We already indicated above how to place the Staenis grid and adjust the height. How does it go then? As soon as the grid is there, you can fill it with a filler. Find out here which fillers you can use for an attic application. It is also possible not to fill the grid. In that case you use 8 extra legs to increase the compressive strength of your floor. Even if you want to fill the grid with glass wool, it is best to provide 8 extra legs. Afterwards, you place the wooden OSB panels and, if desired, you can further finish your attic floor with floating laminate, parquet or vinyl.

Prefer a floor finish with tiles? This can be done by filling the Staenis grid with tilable insulation screed. This type of screed is extremely light (about 10 kg/m² for a 7 cm thickness), and therefore easy to bring to your attic and level out. But make no mistake. Once installed, this screed is certainly strong enough to be tiled. What are you waiting for?

Laying a wooden OSB floor in the attic is easy with the Staenis grid. With this innovative do-it-yourself system, you can install your attic floor construction quickly and flat, without the risk of cracks. Use the floor construction tool and receive more information about your ideal attic floor construction. You can easily order your Staenis grid, the necessary fillers and the installation tools online via the webshop. Tip: Visit a Sack DIY showroom for a preview and see for yourself.