How To Install Attic Ladders By Yourself? [7 Quick Steps]

People use attics in different places for different types of uses like in shops for getting extra space in the same area of the room, in garages for keeping the tools, and in many places to get extra storage. But for reaching out to the attic we need to have an attic ladder for reaching out to that height and placing and taking back the material we have kept in these. Although we know this thing the real problem lies in the process of making this work done. So here we are to tell you how to install attic ladders by yourself.

Steps To Install An Attic Ladder By Yourself

Here are the steps to install the attic ladder in your space:-

Step 1:

As the very first step, decide the place where you want to have the attic ladder according to your ease. Choose a sufficiently large area to leave some sort of room around the attic ladder. For deciding this you should take a rough length of the length and breadth of the needed attic ladder and height between the attic ceiling and floor with measuring tape.  

You can see the different sizes of attic ladders found in the market in the table below:-

*If you need an even smaller kind of attic ladder the smallest size of the opening of the attic ladder which you can get in the market is 18 x 24 inches.

Step 2:

After taking the rough measurements you should decide the type of attic ladder you have to install by considering some important factors:-

• The weight of the person who will use the attic ladder most frequently and also in addition to the weight of the articles he will put and take back from the attic.
• Look for the right measure by considering the headroom.

Accordingly, the types of attic ladders present in the market are of three kinds Aluminium, steel, and wooden.

Step 3:

With the starting of this step, you should have the proper tools and knowledge, and skills to do the process involved in the installation.

Drill a screw at the center of the place where you want to install the attic ladder. Now remove any joist or beam present at the place of installation of the ladder.

Step 4:

After removing these joist attachments with a hacksaw, put some new wooden logs at a distance of about 1 cm around boundaries of the length and breadth of the place where you want to install the attic ladder. Fit these logs properly with heavy screws.

Step 5:

Now mark the area with a pencil which you want to cut off and where you want to place the attic ladder. Cut the marked border with as much accuracy as possible.

Step 6:

Put the schemes around the attic ceiling for providing support to space until the process of installation is completing.

Step 7:

Send the attic ladder to the upper portion of the attic with the help of some person who can handle and hold the attic ladder and make it possible to put it at the correct desired place.

• Before sending the ladder make sure you don’t remove the attachment between the ladder and its door and also place the pulling cord on the door which will be helping us to open the door of the ladder.

*In some cases the cord is attached to the door on the time of manufacturing itself.

Step 8:

Tightly screw the hinge of the attic ladder with the wooden logs we have fitted around the boundary of the hatch of the attic ladder.

For providing much nicer support and protection drill some extra screws on the iron board provided with the ladder.

Step 9:

 Remove the rubber attachment of the door and attic ladder and unfold the ladder from the mid-portion of the ladder.

Step 10:

Measure the length from the door of the ladder to the floor and accordingly remove the extra length of the ladder with the help of a hacksaw. After this at the ending of the ladder drill hole at a similar level on the two poles of the ladder and join a footrest in these poles by placing screws in the holes.

After all this check whether you have installed the ladder properly or not, by moving it up and down 2,3 times with the chord and also go up and down on the stair to check its strength.

Also, remove the supporting board we had placed during installation and you can also decorate the boundary of the attic ladder door for a better look.

Frequently Asked Questions