Additional living space is never superfluous, so if you live in a private house, you have a great opportunity to acquire an extra room by doing interior decoration and attic renovation. There are a lot of options for using this room, for example, you can make a personal office, a billiard room, a living room, or equip it in a gym. Having skills in repair, you will be able to do the decoration yourself. Usually doing this work from and to takes from a week to a month, depending on the number of assistants and free time.
Attic project
There are a large number of options for the location of the walls. Two main methods that can be combined with each other are shown in the picture. Choosing the right option will depend on the shape of the roof slopes and the size of your attic space.
The first method is great for an attic with a high roof and a slight slope. You should also take into account the width of the attic, usually this arrangement of walls is typical for a narrow or long room. With this arrangement, comfortable movement near the walls will be difficult due to the height, so this space is often used to install various furniture, cabinets and shelves.
The second method is carried out with the help of additional partitions and is used for a roof with a steep slope and an average width. Premises not included in the residential part can be used as a storage room. The base of the partition is made mainly of wood and channels. But if your house has not yet been built, and the attic is only being planned, then it is possible to build a partition using brickwork. The dimensions of this type of attic will depend on the ceiling height you choose. For example, if the height from floor to ceiling is 2 meters, then the base of the partition at the point of contact (shown in the picture) drops to the floor at an angle of 90 degrees.
Options for interior decoration of the attic
The interior decoration of the attic is made of wood or drywall. Wood finishes are very popular for such spaces, with the help of wood you can achieve a very beautiful and sophisticated look. Plasterboard finishing is less popular for the attic. After installation, the drywall is pasted over with wallpaper or painted with water-based paint. Also, the attic can be divided into two or more rooms, depending on the length, with the help of additional partitions, which will make it more convenient to use this room. It is possible to install built-in wardrobes that diversify the design and save space.
Walls
Attic wall insulation
Before starting finishing work, it is important to make the right insulation, otherwise large heat losses are possible.
The first step is to make a waterproofing layer that will prevent the ingress and accumulation of moisture. Waterproofing materials are sold in rolls in any hardware store, so there will be no problems finding and buying them. They overlap each other before and after the insulation, using a construction stapler or rails driven in at the edges.
The choice of heaters itself is also diverse, but mineral wool is most suitable. Gables are insulated using the same technology as the roof slopes. For more information about heaters and their fastening, see
If you have chosen the first method of arranging the walls, then the insulating materials are laid in a thick layer between the supporting structure of the roof (rafters). But at the same time, a gap must be left between the insulation layer and the roof for air circulation. The insulation layer will consist of a waterproofing coating, insulation and another layer of waterproofing on top.
If you chose the second method of arranging the walls, then the installation of the insulation will depend on the material from which the partition was built, usually brick or wood. If your partition is made of brick, then the insulation is attached to both sides of the wall. Only a thick layer of insulation and waterproofing material is attached to the inside of the wall. The front part is also finished with a waterproofing material, then a small layer of insulation is laid, after which the finishing material (lining or drywall) is attached. In this case, it will not be necessary to insulate the attic from the inside, that is, the roof slopes. It will be enough to attach a waterproofing material to the slopes, which will protect against the ingress of excess moisture.
We make partitions in the attic on our own
In order to separate the living area, it is necessary to erect partitions. From the extreme beam of the ceiling base, boards are lowered to the floor, which will serve as the base of the partition. The minimum thickness of the board is 2 centimeters, and the width is from 10 centimeters. A large width is needed so that as much insulation as possible can be placed in the gaps. Then additional horizontal bars are installed. The place for installing the door is also made with the help of horizontal and vertical bars, which are installed according to the desired dimensions.
The reverse side of the partition is upholstered with boards with a small thickness, arranged horizontally. The allowable gap between the boards is 0.5 millimeters. Then a waterproofing material is attached from the inside and thermal insulation is laid on top. When the insulation layer is ready, another waterproofing layer is installed. Next, the finishing material of your choice (lining or drywall) is installed.
Room divider
The base of the interior partition can be made both of wood and with the help of channels. The process of installing a wooden base is described above. The total width of such a partition is usually 10-15 centimeters.
Installing the base of the channel partition is a little easier. On each side of the wall, with the help of self-tapping screws, a channel is attached. To make the partition even, do not forget to use the level. Inside this structure, a channel is lowered from ceiling to floor in increments of 50 to 100 centimeters. After that, horizontal channels are installed throughout the base in increments of 50 to 100 centimeters. If lining is used as a finishing material, then wooden bars are used, which are screwed to the channels with self-tapping screws. The construction of the partition on one side is sheathed with the selected finishing material. Drywall is attached directly to the metal structure and screwed with self-tapping screws in increments of 15 centimeters. The lining is attached to horizontal bars with the help of studs. Then a waterproofing coating and insulation are installed in the gaps, after which the other side is sheathed.
Finishing the attic with drywall
With the first method of arranging the walls, it is important to follow the order of the work. First of all, the roof slopes and gables are sheathed, only after that the ceiling is finished. For sheathing the roof slopes, bars are horizontally attached to the rafters in increments of 1 meter, after which horizontal bars are installed in the gaps.
Next, drywall is measured to the desired size and installed on the base. Installation of drywall is very simple, but it is a very time-consuming process. After installation, it is necessary to putty all the cracks and holes from the screws.
Finishing the attic with clapboard
Woodgrain finishes are very popular for attic spaces, and lining installation is very simple. It is cut to the desired height and nailed to the wooden base with studs at the junction, so the stud cap will be hidden. It is important to check its position with a level after each sheet of lining, otherwise, due to a mistake made at the beginning, a strong skew may occur at the end of the wall. After installation, the lining is covered with several layers of varnish.
Floor
Attic floor insulation
Insulation of the attic floor is carried out using heat-insulating materials laid over the entire area of the attic. Glass wool or mineral wool, which fits tightly between the beams, is best suited as a heat-insulating material. The thickness of the insulation should be at least 10 centimeters. Also, do not forget about waterproofing, which will protect the room from excess moisture. The waterproofing layer is laid below and above the thermal insulation layer. If a monotonous slab acts as an overlap between floors, then the best option for insulation would be a floor screed.
Flooring
The basis for the floor of the attic is the flooring of the boards, which are laid on the beams. The thickness of the board should be at least 4 centimeters. A gap is left between the boards and the insulation for air circulation. Softwood boards (pine, spruce, fir, cedar, larch) are best suited as the basis for the floor. Boards of these species, as a rule, have high strength and wear resistance and are easy to process. It is important that the boards are dry and do not have excess moisture, as they can dry out, as a result of which a large gap forms between them. It is recommended that the boards be treated on the reverse side with various antiseptic agents that will protect your floor from rot, fungi, insects and increase fire resistance. If this is not done, then the floor may begin to deteriorate after a few years, and its repeated replacement will be problematic.
The laying of the board is carried out along the lags. Initially, they should be laid for marking and combined so that the gap between them does not exceed 2 millimeters. The gap from the wall should be at least one centimeter, this is done in order to avoid moisture getting from the wall to the boards.
For convenience, the boards are numbered. Then comes the laying of the first board, which should be laid, observing all the necessary gaps, and then checking its position with a level. If the board is laid crooked, the entire floor may eventually be skewed. Then the boards are laid in order and nailed, the length of which will depend on the thickness of the board.
Attic ceiling decoration
First of all, you need to decide on the height of the ceiling, the most optimal height for it is 2.2 meters. If you make the ceiling below this level, then being in this room, especially for people with high growth, will be very inconvenient. Also, at a low height, it will be impossible to install high furniture, such as a wardrobe.
After you have chosen the height that suits you, a measurement is made from the floor to a row of rafters and a mark is made in the place where the required height is reached and touches the rafters. Then a beam is installed between the opposite rafters, which is initially attached to 1 nail on one side for further adjustment. On the other, not fixed side, the beam is applied to the desired height mark and its position is additionally checked using a level. If the position of the beam is set exactly, then it is fastened with at least two nails or self-tapping screws on each side. After you connect all the rafters together, the base of the ceiling will be ready.
Further, for reliability and strength, additional transverse bars are nailed to the structure in increments of 50 to 100 centimeters. If you chose the second method of arranging the walls, as shown in the picture below, then vertical bars are released from the extreme beam to the floor, which will serve as the base of the partition.
The finished ceiling structure is completely upholstered with boards with a small thickness or drywall. The gap between the boards should not exceed 0.1 mm. A waterproofing sheet is nailed on top of the boards and then insulation (glass wool or mineral wool) is laid in a thick layer.
There are a lot of different options for finishing the ceiling. If you decide to make the interior “under the tree”, then you can do without further finishing and just varnish it. Also, if the height allows, you can order a stretch fabric that forms a perfectly flat surface. It is also possible to install drywall, which will be attached to the base with self-tapping screws.
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