Infinite Attic
By Gordon DeWitte
While TM has noted attic decking before, Infinite Attic is another contender in the race to make use of all that space you have in the attic. The structural aluminum Infinite Attic Saddles fit over 2×4 attic roof trusses; 2×2 rails (customer-supplied) fit in the saddles, and sections of 19/32″ plywood or OSB (customer-supplied) are attached to the rails using 6D nails or 1¼” long #8 screws. The $30 18-saddle kit will cover 32 square feet (lumber not included).
Unless your house is WAY bigger than mine, Infinite Attic is either hyperbole or a misnomer. I told them a billion times not to exaggerate.
Do you need more storage space in your attic? Or do you just need a way to prevent putting your foot through the ceiling?
Infinite Attic [Manufacturer's Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
August 17th, 2009 at 10:27 am
I don’t get it, why wouldn’t you just nail the 2×2s directly to the trusses?
August 17th, 2009 at 10:32 am
@ Kyle
My guess is that the saddles have greater shear strength than nails.
August 17th, 2009 at 10:34 am
This way you can have a flat surface without cutting around all the vertical supports.
August 17th, 2009 at 11:02 am
$30 for one sheet of plywood (32 sq. ft.)?!!
August 17th, 2009 at 11:11 am
What about insulation? I guess this assumes you’ll be insulating the roof and making the attic part of the living space instead.
August 17th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
That’s a really good point - I have 2×4 trusses and some decking up there that I’ve installed. I’m about to have about 20″ of insulation blown in to satisfy the new “energy audit” program that Austin TX has put in place. I guess you can blow in right on top of your decking, but what if you want useable decking and insulation? Time to make some stilt saddles…
August 17th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Sorry, I guess I’m just dense, but I’m not getting it. Like Kyle, I can’t see any advantage over just nailing/screwing the 2×2s into the trusses. If sheer strength per fastener is a problem, use more fasteners. If the 2×2s are installed 3/4″ below the top of the truss, there’s no more or less cutting for vertical members than when using these devices.
*shrugs*
August 17th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Kyle and Toolhearty:
Probably just a convenience thing. You are absolutely right about the strength issue. The load is not all on the nails or screws that are in shear - but actually a lot of the strength comes from the friction between the mating surfaces (board to board). The clips do offer convenience in that they position the 2×2’s - otherwise you might use 2×3’s - but would need to temporarily hold them in place while they were being screwed to the truss member.
August 17th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
why bother with the 2×2’s at all, just lay the OSB the other direction and nail it to the top of the beams, that way you only need a saw and some osb. Heck, if you lay it right and butt it up against stuff nails might not even be necessary
August 17th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
The problem as I see it with all these attic storage “solutions” is you can’t effectively use them anywhere where it gets decently cold (insulation), and anywhere you don’t need that much insulation is probably where heat and humidity will damage or destroy anything you store in the attic.
To me the attic is a place for (lots of) insulation, and maybe a Squirrel Evictor. (I don’t sell that or work for them.)
August 17th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Yeah for the price, the other attic florrinf seemed more reasonable, or just do some easy carpentry and build your on out of some 2x material or 1x and make cleats
ShopMonger
August 18th, 2009 at 5:46 am
So much stuff like this is a solution looking for a problem. The cost of marketing and convincing folks to buy it inflates the price so much that anyone who has time and just a wee bit of skill can figure out a cheaper way to do it.
August 18th, 2009 at 6:36 am
To me the attic is a place for (lots of) insulation, and maybe a Squirrel Evictor.
I can see it now… If I tried one of those Squirrel Evictor thingies, the darn squirrels would find a boom box and a mirrored ball from somewhere and have a rodent disco going on in the attic.
August 18th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Utterly and completely useless since there’s no place for insulation.
Personally, I’ve partially decked my attic (for storage) — ran 2×4’s perpendicular to the existing 2×6’s. Filled those with blow-in, put OSB on top. The rest of the attic is getting R-45 worth of batts, or at least R-30 plus a ton of blow-in (all the blow in is recycled from the stuff that’s currently up there).
As for the squirrel evictor — man, I know I wouldn’t want to go up there with that running. But it only works in attics that are square and have no “blind spots”… which eliminates every attic I’ve ever been in. Even for condos.
August 20th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Why can’t you insulate the rafters?
The problem with 2×2s or 1x whatevers as someone else mentioned is the strength. If you’re storing a lot of stuff up in your attic, and the only thing carrying the load is two 2×2s, and your plywood isn’t supported on all sides, it can be a problem, especially if it’s subjected to a lot of moisture and humidity (osb is even worse compared to plywood as it crumbles). I’ve worked in homes where people put 2×2s as backing to the joist for ductwork, or plumbing and you can put nails and screws galore, but it’s useless when your foot can push it off with ease. 2×2s and 1x whatevers are meant for strapping. If you’re going to use anything, use 2×3s. Square lumber such as 2×2s, and 4×4s aren’t as strong as 2×3s and 5×3s.
Although at one time basements weren’t anything except for utilities and perhaps a cold storage room, it’s certainly changed, but attics I don’t think will ever change because too many problems can occur. Here’s a better idea; condense your stuff and sell it or give it away. If it’s in the attic for more than 6 months, get over it and rid of it.
August 20th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
You can insulate the rafters, but it’s not nearly as cheap, easy, or as effective. You cannot use blow in at all (except in that 1″ left to you on the floor below this crap). You have to either staple faced batts (if allowed by fire code) all over the place, or put unfaced batts with wire hangers in all over. And even then you simply cannot put as much on — 3 1/2″ or 5 1/4″ of insulation is inadequate anywhere (unless you use spray foam, which is expensive).
Finally, you haven’t stopped conditioned air from leaking into your attic — so you’re still partially heating and cooling your attic, which is what the insulation is supposed to stop in the first place. This can lead to all kinds of moisture issues in both humid and cold climates, particularly since you now have to remove as much air circulation from the attic as possible.