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This summer one of the projects I need to have done is put an attic stair system for my attic. The pull down version. Right now I always have to grab a ladder. Been meaning to do this for many years but now that I am remodeling, need to get done. My question for those in the know, what is a good brand that can support 350 lbs?? Any do's and don'ts and or things to beaware of. Hopefully I can increase the width of opening that I have now. Aluminum VS wood??? They all seem basic but just like everything you get what you pay for. I do not mind paying a little more if it is justified. Basic ceiling height. Thanks.
John T.
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02-13-2021, 05:20 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-13-2021, 05:22 PM by MT Woodworker.)
(02-13-2021, 03:13 PM)JTTHECLOCKMAN Wrote: This summer one of the projects I need to have done is put an attic stair system for my attic. The pull down version. Right now I always have to grab a ladder. Been meaning to do this for many years but now that I am remodeling, need to get done. My question for those in the know, what is a good brand that can support 350 lbs?? Any do's and don'ts and or things to beaware of. Hopefully I can increase the width of opening that I have now. Aluminum VS wood??? They all seem basic but just like everything you get what you pay for. I do not mind paying a little more if it is justified. Basic ceiling height. Thanks.
I had wood attic stairs in the last house, basically went by the load rating from the manufacturer
Biggest thing to me is good structure where it will be installed
The structure was boxed in and then the attic stairs bolted into the structure
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(02-13-2021, 03:13 PM)JTTHECLOCKMAN Wrote: This summer one of the projects I need to have done is put an attic stair system for my attic. The pull down version. Right now I always have to grab a ladder. Been meaning to do this for many years but now that I am remodeling, need to get done. My question for those in the know, what is a good brand that can support 350 lbs?? Any do's and don'ts and or things to beaware of. Hopefully I can increase the width of opening that I have now. Aluminum VS wood??? They all seem basic but just like everything you get what you pay for. I do not mind paying a little more if it is justified. Basic ceiling height. Thanks.
My house was built with a walk up stairway to the attic.
I went with a wider than usuall aluminum pull down stair for my garage attic. Because i had the ladder already picked out, I could plan accordingly when framing the garage. Retrofitting into an existing space is going to be more difficult, but i would go with as wide as you can. The one i went with was Werner, not overly expensive, and no idea now what the weight rating is. No problems so far after 11 years.
Being in a garage, insulation was a nonfactor. The spring loaded hatch is just barely strong enough to stay up, probably due to the 5/8" fire rated sheatrock that is mounted to the wood hatch cover.
My .02
Karl
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I've installed 2, the last one in a freestanding shop building. I'm not sure I've ever seen one made for a larger width than 22.5" to accommodate trusses/rafters on 24" centers. But the ones i installed were the lighter duty wooden folding steps. Given your load requirements,
I think I'd go with this one. It can be ordered at several of the home centers. It will support 350# and can be fire rated. I considered it but truthfully didn't need the load capacity.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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I put a 30" in the pole barn at my mothers, ordered from Home Depot.
When installing, a drywall lift is your best friend.
Ed
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(02-14-2021, 02:04 PM)measure once cut remeasure Wrote: Being in a garage, insulation was a nonfactor. The spring loaded hatch is just barely strong enough to stay up, probably due to the 5/8" fire rated sheatrock that is mounted to the wood hatch cover.
Yes, an attached garage needs fire separation between it and the living space so the attic access needs to be also. 5/8" firecode dry wall meets that rating..
Coming from a person who goes into attics several times a week. I can't stand aluminum pull down ladders. Never had one break or collapse but they're pretty unstable compared to a decent wood pull-down. Having a leg rebuilt from a ladder fall, I'm squeamish on unstable ladders.
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(02-13-2021, 03:13 PM)JTTHECLOCKMAN Wrote: This summer one of the projects I need to have done is put an attic stair system for my attic. The pull down version. Right now I always have to grab a ladder. Been meaning to do this for many years but now that I am remodeling, need to get done. My question for those in the know, what is a good brand that can support 350 lbs?? Any do's and don'ts and or things to beaware of. Hopefully I can increase the width of opening that I have now. Aluminum VS wood??? They all seem basic but just like everything you get what you pay for. I do not mind paying a little more if it is justified. Basic ceiling height. Thanks.
I installed a Fakro set of pull-down stairs a couple of years ago that I bought on Amazon. I did some research on ratings and for my application Fakro was rated better than both Lousiville and Werner options.
I like the stairs a lot. They are nice quality and the installation instructions were easy to follow. I'm sure they have options to support your weight requirements.
Good luck!
