What are these thin wood beams in m attic?
January 10, 2009 1:07 PM Subscribe
What are these thin wood beams in m attic and why are they there?
I have an unfinished attic. It's all framed out (I bought it like that). Along the ceiling there are thin strips of wood nailed perpendicular to the actual beams. What are they and why are they there?
Picture here
I have an unfinished attic. It's all framed out (I bought it like that). Along the ceiling there are thin strips of wood nailed perpendicular to the actual beams. What are they and why are they there?
Picture here
I agree with adamrice. They're battens holding the insulation onto the main beams. And I also think you should be able to replace them with sheetrock.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 1:15 PM on January 10, 2009
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 1:15 PM on January 10, 2009
My home-improvement inclined husband says, "To hold up the insulation. It tends to sag." I asked him if he thought maybe they were also for drywall, but he says no, because whoever did it didn't bother to line up the ends of the wood strips.
posted by cooker girl at 1:15 PM on January 10, 2009
posted by cooker girl at 1:15 PM on January 10, 2009
The above answers are right, but it may also be useful to realize that the insulation in your photo is a) not attached to anything and b) not particularly rigid. So if you took the wood strips out... it would fall out.
posted by smackfu at 1:21 PM on January 10, 2009
posted by smackfu at 1:21 PM on January 10, 2009
Jeez, is that my house? My attic looked almost exactly like that before it was remodelled into living space. nthing that they are just holding the bats in place.
posted by fixedgear at 1:23 PM on January 10, 2009
posted by fixedgear at 1:23 PM on January 10, 2009
Response by poster: I am indeed going to finish the attic. Now I know I can remove the battens. The insulation is actually stapled to the ceiling beams but it has to be replaced anyway. It's not up to code in my town. FYI fixedgear my house is a cape cod.
posted by bingwah at 1:29 PM on January 10, 2009
posted by bingwah at 1:29 PM on January 10, 2009
Yeah, so is/was ours. They called it 'one and a half stories' but we built a big shed dormer across the back.
posted by fixedgear at 1:36 PM on January 10, 2009
posted by fixedgear at 1:36 PM on January 10, 2009
When you're removing the insulation, wear a face mask. That's glass wool, and it'll toss off all kinds of glass dust which you don't want to inhale. (Also wear gloves; it itches like hell if you get it in your skin.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 2:31 PM on January 10, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 2:31 PM on January 10, 2009 [3 favorites]
it looks like strapping, which you could screw the drywall to if you were drywalling the walls/ceilings.
posted by rmd1023 at 3:08 PM on January 10, 2009
posted by rmd1023 at 3:08 PM on January 10, 2009
no need to take them out.. just screw the drywall into them
posted by geos at 3:45 PM on January 10, 2009
posted by geos at 3:45 PM on January 10, 2009
Geos, the OP has to remove it because it doesn't meet code.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:58 PM on January 10, 2009
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:58 PM on January 10, 2009
Do not take them out. It is strapping, as noted already, attached to rafters (no beams in your picture) and the advantage of strapping is that they provide a layer which eases the difference across rafters plus allows for fishing wire perpendicular to the rafters after drywall is in place.
posted by Dick Paris at 7:22 PM on January 10, 2009
posted by Dick Paris at 7:22 PM on January 10, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by adamrice at 1:11 PM on January 10, 2009 [1 favorite]