Quite often, the attic is used as a technical room, but it is important to provide convenient and safe access to it. For this, an attic staircase with a hatch can be used.
Features of choice
The selection criteria and construction installation methods will depend on the dimensions of the opening, floor height and floor material. If we are talking about two residential floors, then the staircase will have to be used constantly. At the same time, it should be strong enough, comfortable and have the ability to withstand high loads. If you decide to install a stationary structure with a hatch, then it will largely determine the appearance of the interior.
Design Features
The attic staircase does not require the presence of a large area. Its design is modest, and the strength characteristics are not designed for such heavy loads. The attic staircase with a hatch has another distinctive feature, which is expressed in a significant angle of inclination, varying from 60 to 70 degrees. This circumstance is dictated by the lack of area on which it is necessary to place the structure. This is also due to savings on the number of steps.
A device for lifting to the attic cannot be complicated or long. The smaller and shorter it is, the easier it will be to hide it under the ceiling.
The main varieties and design features
If you will be considered an attic staircase with a hatch, then you will be able to understand that such devices can be folding or sliding. The latter variety, as a rule, consists of two sections, one of which is fixed on the manhole cover, while the other is vertically extensible, during which guides are used. The sections crawl on top of each other. Before installing such a device, you must remember that it provides for the presence of a large opening in the attic floor.
The sliding structure can only be made of metal. If you need a more compact attic staircase with a hatch, then you should prefer a folding one, which has another name - sectional, as it has three or four sections. Due to the spring mechanism, they straighten into the flight of stairs. Most often, the basis of such a product is wood, but sometimes on sale you can also find combined designs. The user will be able to select the desired height by fixing the device with the last knee.
Folding products have several varieties, among them one can distinguish accordion stairs, which are driven by a spring device. Such models are multi-link mechanism that resembles scissors or claws. The latter are consistently stretched, forming an elegant staircase from a compact design. The basis of such mechanisms is metal, and in the working position they are fixed with a spring stop, which eliminates spontaneous folding. If you need to close the manhole cover, you need to use the integrated shaft.
Varieties of attic stairs by material
The manufacture of stairs is carried out using different materials. For example, wood is the most popular. This is due to their strength, reliability and low cost. Installing such designs is quite simple, which is why home masters do these works on their own. If the ladder is too long, it can be cut without fear that the structure will become worthless.
Having visited the store, you can see that wooden stairs have an insulated box lid or a thermally insulated manhole, the thickness of which can reach 76 centimeters. For those consumers who prefer greater strength, metal stairs that do not deform and withstand heavy weight are perfect. They are convenient to use, since the drop-down part of the structure has a small weight.
Combined Models
The manufacture of stairs is sometimes carried out using different materials. This may include wood, which forms the basis of the steps, and the metal from which the guides are made. Due to its combination, the staircase has a solid frame and steps, which can be replaced if necessary if any element becomes unusable.
Preparation before installing the iron attic stairs
Before acquiring the described construction, it is necessary to measure the opening, the dimensions of which should not be smaller or larger than the dimensions of the stairs. Work must be performed by two craftsmen. Initially, you should prepare boards, a key for 10, screws, a screwdriver, a protractor and a screwdriver.
Technology of work
Attic hatches with a retractable ladder can be purchased at a reasonable price today. If you bought a metal structure, then in the opening you should first fix the boards, with which you can simplify the installation work . One person goes upstairs, taking with him all of the above tools. Next, the attic staircase is lifted and installed on previously mounted auxiliary boards. In the place where the fasteners are screwed, spacers should be installed, which should be located between the edge of the opening and the staircase. An angle of 90 degrees should be formed there. The staircase is fixed at the back and front with screws.
When folding attic stairs with a hatch are installed, at the next stage the master, who remains at the bottom, will have to remove the boards supporting the attic door. Now you can open the opening, and the person on top fixes the right and left sides. The space between the box and the opening should be filled with insulation. The bolts on the stairs are untwisted, which allows you to fold it back, after which the fasteners are tightened. When unfolding, metal attic stairs with a hatch should form a straight line. In order to adjust the angle of the product, the holes of the side support must be moved.
Preparation before installing a wooden staircase
The technology, which uses a wooden staircase in the attic, will be almost the same as that used to install the metal structure. The difference is that the bars should be fixed with a cord. During work, you will need a screwdriver, an angle meter, a screwdriver, a cord, a 10 wrench, as well as screws.
Working process
The bars are fixed in the aperture using a cord, and after the whole structure lowers down. If you plan to use finishing panels, you should leave a distance of one centimeter between the ceiling and the boards. The structure must be lifted, which will allow it to be mounted on auxiliary boards. At the place where the fasteners are supposed to be installed, spacers should be inserted that will be between the staircase and the edge. This will allow the craftsmen to maintain right angles. Using mounting wedges, connect the frames of the stairs and the planes of the ceiling.
When the attic of the staircase is installed, the box is fixed with 4 screws, two of which should be at the rear, while the other two at the front. Auxiliary boards holding the attic doors should be removed, which will open the staircase. The right and left sides are fixed with additional screws. The hollow space, as in the above case, is filled with insulation.
Specialist recommendations
At the next stage, the fasteners can be untwisted, the structure folded down, and then tightened again. Wooden stairs can be adjusted in height, and if the cutting line is on the step, you must use the height adjuster located on the sides. The fasteners are loosened, the ladder moves until the cutting line is shifted beyond the steps. Experts recommend using this method if the edge of the stairs turned out to be sawn inaccurately. In this case, the screws can be loosened, and then ensure that all sections are in a straight line. The angle of inclination of the structure can be changed if the holes in the side support are slightly displaced. It will be necessary to install hatch guards and handrails on the stairs.
Attic staircase dimensions
Before you get the design described in the article, you need to ask what sizes of attic stairs with a hatch are. These parameters are manufacturer dependent. The most popular on the modern market is the Fakro company, which manufactures products for moving between floors of the following dimensions: the step length is 34 centimeters, while its width is 8 centimeters, the insulation thickness in the hatch is equivalent to three centimeters, and the possible room height can reach 280 cm. When folded, the structure occupies 120x60 cm. As for the maximum load, it is equal to 160 kilograms.
Structures for movement between floors of the mentioned manufacturer may have 3 or 4 sections, which are made of pine. After assembly, the ladder need not be unfolded. In the absence of free space it can be stored in the ceiling.
The cover has an attractive appearance and does not require additional decoration. If you install such a product in the ceiling, you will save space on the floor, and the staircase itself during operation will show the quality of functionality, ease of use and durability. The Fakro company manufactures attic structures with 36 mm covers, which are made in the form of a pine frame. On both sides of the product are finished with white fiberboard, and the available free space is filled with polystyrene, which plays the role of insulation.
The outer side of the cover has no mounting elements, its surface is completely smooth. It will be easy to close the lid using a metal rod. Designs are made so that the elements do not impede the rise to the upper floor. Corner profiles that fix the staircase allow precise installation during installation. The design is stable.
To increase the strength of the joints, the steps are fixed in the so-called dovetail. The staircase lid does not interact with the steps, and the recesses with anti-slip texture increase the safety of use and comfort.
Attic stairs prices
If you are interested in an attic staircase with a hatch, the price of this design is a parameter that you will pay attention to first of all. On sale you can find folding products made in Russia. We are talking about the company "Fakro", which presents to the attention of consumers different models. For example, LWS PLUS costs 6,700 rubles. The opening when using it can have sizes from 94x60 to 140x70 millimeters. At the heart of this staircase is a pine, and the hatch has a 36-mm thickness and a layer of insulation.
No less popular is the LWK PLUS pine model, which costs slightly more - 8500 rubles. The size range of the opening here is somewhat narrower, its parameters can be equal to the limit from 94x60 to 120x70. This model, in contrast to the above, is equipped with a metal side rail. The kit supplies the necessary accessories, namely plastic nozzles for legs, which are able to prevent damage to the floor surface. The manhole cover has plastic fasteners in the form of latches. The thickness of the walls of the box is 18 millimeters, and the depth is equivalent to 140 millimeters.
Cost of stairs
On sale you can find various models of stairs and other domestic manufacturers (for example, Vishera). The average cost of a standard product is 8,200 rubles. The structures are based on spruce, and the load is 150 kg. There are stairs that have thermal protection. Their price starts from 10 thousand rubles. Thermal protection in these devices is characterized by the following indicators: 1.26 W / m²K. In any case, everyone chooses what suits him best, so there’s no point in advising something about this. The main thing to consider when choosing stairs is usability, functionality and aesthetic appearance.