Cutting Ceiling Joists For Attic Stairs

This way you only need to cut one of them to make the room for the rough framing opening.

Cutting ceiling joists for attic stairs.

In order to maintain the support integrity of the ceiling or floor joist or rafter system it is important that if joists are cut that the load that was bearing on those joists be transferred to a modified support system. Determine the area where you want to place your stairs. If the room has a ceiling and you have cut the required hole go to step 2. Cutting and or removing joists to provide an entry or access can be the most difficult part of the overall project.

Either process requires cutting away flooring. Standard ceiling joists sit on 24 inch centers and the space between them is 22 1 2 inches. Measure the distance between the full joists on either side of the cut joists. You ll then use the ceiling joists to determine the final location.

Step 2 cut joist support boards. How to cut a hole in the ceiling for attic access. If the ceiling joist does not provide one side of the frame cut a second stringer the same length as the first one. Cut 2 joist sized boards long enough to span two joists on each side of your chosen.

I would not put the attic stairs ladder assembly opening at right angles to the ceiling joists. Instead you should place the cutout opening inline with the ceiling joists rafter ties. Locate the joists behind the drywall on the ceiling using a. Note that only one stringer is needed in figure 17 because the ceiling joist provides one side of the frame.

Cut a stringer to this length. If the room has no ceiling. Locate an area centered between the two joists and cut a 6 to 8 inch diameter hole using a. These are trimmer joists.

Position a stepladder directly under the desired area for the attic access hole. Next using an electric drill pop a screw up through the drywall in the ceiling as a reference point so that when you go up in the attic you ll be able to locate it and find the general location of the attic stair. When converting an attic or basement to finished living space you may decide to replace a ladder with a stairway or to enlarge an existing stairway.