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screwdriver being used to screw in loft board mounts

How To Install LoftZone StoreFloor Compact

Add storage to your loft in just a few easy steps.

Need help? You can follow our simple step-by-step installations below, or you can download our comprehensive StoreFloor Compact installation guide. 

If you are looking for the instructions for our regular (taller) StoreFloor, then please see this page.

Step 1

Clear Work Area

You only need to clear a small area, by placing items already in the loft to one side. There’s no need to remove items from the loft altogether, as you can build the deck in stages and put items back on to an area you’ve completed. Insulate between the joists if it’s not already been done, but temporarily roll back any insulation that sits over the joists (this will be put back later). Make sure you have all your tools ready – you only need a tape measure, an electric drill and the screws that are supplied with the StoreFloor kits.

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Step 2

Arrange Compact-Supports

Most of the Compact-Supports will be used to support the ends of each Cross-Beam. Align these Compact-Supports along the joists, avoiding obstacles and spacing them 610mm apart, along each joist (measured from the centre of one Compact-Support to the centre of the next one). Screw the supports into the joists through the two pre-drilled holes.
If you are close to a wall, hatch, or other obstruction, you can fit the Compact-Support at an angle as shown, so long as you fit the next Compact-Support in its normal inverted triangle position. 

Step 3

Slide On The Steel Beams

Slide the galvanised steel Cross-Beams on to the supports and secure them through the pre-drilled holes and slots. The sliding nature of the Cross-Beams gives you adjustment in case your joists are unevenly-spaced apart. There is no need for the Cross-Beams to meet exactly in the middle.

 

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Step 4

Fit The Additional Compact-Supports under the Cross-Beams

As well as supporting the end of each Cross-Beam, some Compact-Supports can also be used to support the centre of a Cross-Beam, to stiffen up the deck and transfer the loading on to another joist. In this case, to save time and minimise the number of screws, rotate the Compact-Support so that it rests on its other base and you are using it as a vertical leg, as shown in the photos. 

Screw the Compact-Support into the joist through any one (and just one) of the two pre-drilled holes in its base, and then use another screw through the slit in the top of the Cross-Beam and into the hole in the Compact-Support below. In our standard kits, we supply Compact-Supports to use like this under every second Cross-Beam. You can space them out evenly or concentrate them in areas of highest footfall or loading; it’s up to you. One of the images in this step shows this for a 2.4m x 2.4m kit as an example configuration; if you want to see this image for the kit size you are buying, it is shown on the product page on our online shop. 

For more information on using Compact-Supports see our Frequently Asked Questions.

Step 5

Top Up Insulation

Roll the top-up insulation between the Cross-Beams, making sure it fits snugly around the supports. Insulation rolls come in different widths, if yours are narrower than the gaps between the rows of Cross-Beams, then lay one roll right up next to the previous one, so there are no gaps along the edges, and tear small slits where the supports are, to allow the rolls to be positioned around the supports and hence to meet. The insulation should spring back along the tear, so there are no gaps.

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Step 6

Secure The Deck

Secure the deck by screwing loft boards into the top of the Cross-Beams. The screws self-tap into the metal; there is no need to align the screws with the slots in the top of the Cross-Beams. You don’t need to stagger the boards; the deck is strong enough with them just laid next to each other.