If the attic joists are not adequate one way to strengthen the floor for live loads is to sister the old joists.
How to strengthen floor joists in lofts.
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It also provides protection against stress on the ceilings beneath.
You can however strengthen the joists by securing another length of wood to the existing joist called sistering or reduce wobbly floors with block inserts between the joists called.
Sistering is the process of adding a new joist next to each existing joist.
Even if your joists already have a row of bridging at the center of the span adding a row on each side of the existing bridging will stiffen the floor.
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Joist cross bracing is used to elevate the floor above the existing insulation by 100mm.
Add an additional row of fas teners midway between the joists to pull the layers tightly together.
How to strengthen floor joists in lofts.
Choose ring shank nails or screws that are long enough to penetrate the joists by 11 2 in and space them every 6 in.
B use joist timbers of higher height and cut notches in them for the horizontal timbers.
This solution doesn t make the floor as stiff as the other solutions but since it s relatively easy and inexpensive you might want to try it first.
Full length timbers are used for additional strength.
In the case of 2x6 joists you can pair them up with additional 2x6 joists by nailing them together side by side.