Rafter Storage

[Jontic]

So i'm moving the junk that i'm not ready to part with up to the rafters of my garage.

My question is this:

What type of plywood should i use for this?
Could i get away with using something like OSB Sheathing that is no more than $9 per sheet at HD?

I'm looking to keep cost low and the weight of the items is no more than 20lbs.

Thanks for all advice?

 

[Strouty]

What is your center to center dimension?

 

[92GreenYJ]

I just used a bunch of leftover 1/2" plywood and some old closet doors and such. Basically any sheet of wood big enough I had floating around. Been working well for me so far to store my seldom use stuff.

 

[Strouty]

I know you said not more than 20 pounds, but if your rafters are 4 feet on center it could be a problem. If they are 2' on center or less, just lay down some OSB at least 1/2" thick and you will be fine.

 

[southalabama]

Watch the heat in the attic. Put items not affected by heat in the attic

 

[Jontic]

Thanks all for reply. Great tip on heat. Its pretty warm in there now, so i'm sure the heat up top, near the rafters is much warmer. Thanks again!

 

[Strouty]

Watch the heat in the attic. Put items not affected by heat in the attic

Good point, also cold can be an issue in some places (like Maine).

 

[tommyrs70]

I use my 24' x 40' garage with truss-rafters above finished ceilings for storage of old car parts. Nothing that heat will affect for sure, mostly sheet metal. What really helped to vent the heat was opening up the back gable end and installing a Home Depot thermostatic controlled fan with louvers. It works wonders! Keeps the working part of the garage much cooler through most of the day. Then at night, I open up the garage about 2 foot and let it cool down and close the door in the morning. The garage is nice to work in closed up until around 3pm. If I need to work longer, I can kick the window AC unit on and life is good, but electricity bill is not so good so I do a lot of evening and early morning work when it's cooler. Luckily, the garage is inside a fenced in yard and secure with a few big canine friends. The trusses are 24" O.C. with 1/2" and 3/4'' plywood decking that the previous owner installed. All I need is to install a set of drop-down stairs to make life easier.

 

[Krash Kadillak]

I have a 20x20 (approx) finished garage. Has drywall on the ceiling. I put in a drop-down ladder, then put 5/8ths CDX plywood in the attic space. I had some electrical running on top of the rafters, so some spacers were nailed to the tops of the rafters.

I chose the 5/8ths because it resisted bending quite a bit better than 1/2" ply. And I just don't like OSB....... Got probably 200 sq ft up there now.

 

[wrench409]

The old guy that built my garage in the 70's used 1/2 CDX type plywood back before it came with all those knotholes laminated in.


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