Place your ladder securely below the ceiling hatch and lock it in place.
How to measure for attic stairs.
Measure the height or rise of the space you want to make stairs.
Hold the tape.
You can stand on the attic ladder to take.
You should also measure the ceiling height.
Measure the length from the hinged side of the attic ladder frame to the opposite side of the attic ladder frame.
First if there is an existing stairway measure from the outside to the outside of the existing box frame.
You can watch a video or read this short article about how to measure the rough opening for an attic ladder.
Using a tape measure make measurements of the total height of the space you want to make stairs from the bottom to the top.
Close the attic ladder up fully and place a stepladder underneath it.
So with a 24 on center and framing lumber being 1 1 2 thick the dimension between the inside edges of the two joists is 22 1 2 24 3 4 3 4.
Place your measurement along the edge so that your measuring tape stays in a straight line.
How to measure for attic stairs 1.
Measure the rough opening s width and length in three different spots at the top and bottom of the framing.
Leave room for extending the measuring tape.
Extend the tape measure so that it reaches from the ceiling to the floor.
Do not measure the inside of the box frame and as that is not a true rough opening measurement.
For smaller attic ladder openings with a minimum measurement of 18 x 24 you will need to measure from the finished floor to the attic floor.
How to measure the rough opening properly in order to install an attic stairway.
Have your helper below note the measurement.
The next measurement will be for the length of the stairs.
How do measure pull down attic stairs.
You ll need at least three critical measurements.
Attic ladders are sized based on the rough opening.
This is called the rise of your measurements and will determine how high your stairs will go.
Place a tape measure at the left side of the attic opening on the inside edge of any trim molding but the.
The width and length of the rough opening and the ceiling height.