Old boarding in.loft rotting

[littleFinch]

Got someone in to quote for insulating loft, ladder, new hatch plus reboarding.

They said that the old boards were rotting and not to step on them. Is this usual or should I get this checked out prior to putting new boarding in?

There is no insulation under the boards at the moment. It's a 1930s house with original roof and they did have a leak with storm arwen.

There is also a bathroom fan that goes into loft, need to check that is actually venting outside and not just into loft space.

If you really have rotten wood in your loft, you must have a severe problem such as water leaks.

But I suspect it is really just old chipboard. It is a material I despise. It goes soft when damp and is quite weak. It dies not regain strength when it dries. It can crack from a heavy person repeatedly walking on it.

I use ply, which might cost a little more. Some large timber merchants and DIY sheds will sell you full size boards (2880x1440x18mm) for about £40 and cut them to pieces of your choice either free, or at 50p per cut or some such price. Ask before buying. You have to measure the size you want by measuring between joist centres in your loft, they might be 16 inches or two foot or the metric equivalent. span three joists or more if you can, the bigger the pieces and the fewer joints, the better. You measure between centres, not the size of the gap. You lay lengthways across the joists, not in the same direction. You can carry the cut panels in your car.

Sometimes you can get actual wooden floorboards. I have also used decking boards, which are treated for external use, and are very strong and quite cheap. You can usually poke at least a six foot length through the loft hatch, but the longer the better.

Chipboard is sold in ready made small panels for loft boarding to the DIY trade. They are not even very cheap.

Thanks! It does sound like chipboard. Will check to be sure

I didn't realise those pre-made loft boards were so fragile in damp conditions. Food for thought, thank you both.

Not all of them are. Some are moisture resistant. They cost a little more and are usually a green colour.

Your loft shouldn't be damp at all. Bathrooms are the usual culprit due to misplaced fan exhaust and/or poorly insulated ceiling lights.

I know it shouldn't be damp but there is always the risk of slipped tiles, overflowing guttering, chimney flashing lifting, steam from bathrooms etc etc. Seems it's worth paying that little bit extra not to have chipboard considering the boards stay up there for decades.

Thanks for mentioning the green boards @Elbowpatch

I don't know about rotting boards.

I do know that often there is not enough height in the joists above the ceiling to fit in the recommended amount of insulation in, which these days can be quite thick.

So I would be asking about what the intended thickness of the insulation was going to be, whether or not that is consistent with modern standards and whether you need something like a loft leg (google it) system in place.