Domakihub How to Board a Loft for Storage (and Do It Right)
Turn unused attic space into safe, accessible storage without killing your insulation.
Reviewed by Domakihub home & decor pros · 2026-06-23 · 5 min read
Whether you manage a villa in Crete, a holiday apartment in Athens, or a family home in Thessaloniki, a boarded loft can double your storage capacity overnight. The video above walks through the full installation process in real time; the guide below explains each stage so you arrive prepared — or so you can brief your carpenter or general builder with confidence. Loft boarding is a project most competent DIYers and tradespeople can complete in a day, provided the structure and insulation are assessed first.
What 'Boarding a Loft' Actually Means
Loft boarding means laying a solid, walkable floor across the ceiling joists of your attic so that you can store boxes, suitcases, seasonal equipment, or building materials safely above the living space. Without boards, you are walking on fragile plasterboard ceilings — one misplaced foot and you have a hole in your ceiling and a repair bill to match.
In Greece, attic spaces are common in detached houses, duplexes, and older apartment buildings. Because the climate is drier than Northern Europe, attic insulation depths are often lower — but this does not remove the need to check structural load and moisture before you start.
Key Things to Know Before You Start
Standard ceiling joists in older Greek construction are often 50x100 mm or 50x150 mm timber, typically spaced 400–600 mm apart. These sizes limit how much load you can place on the floor: domestic storage (boxes, luggage, tools) is generally fine, but heavy items like water tanks or accumulated building waste can exceed safe limits. If in doubt, have a structural engineer verify the joist size and span before boarding — especially in buildings older than 1980 or if the attic shows any signs of sag or movement.
A building permit is not normally required for simple storage boarding that does not alter the structure or create a habitable room. However, if you intend to add a fixed staircase, convert the attic to a living space, or alter the roof structure, Greek building regulations (the New Building Regulation, NOK) almost certainly require a permit and a licensed civil engineer. This guide covers storage boarding only.
Step-by-Step: How to Board Your Loft
- 1
Inspect the joists and insulation
Before buying a single board, go into the loft with a torch and probe any suspect timber with a screwdriver. Solid wood will resist the tip; rotten or insect-damaged wood will give. Check for signs of damp on the underside of the roof tiles or on the rafters — dark staining, white salt deposits, or mould. If you find any of these, fix the source before boarding, because trapping moisture under chipboard will accelerate decay. Also measure the insulation depth: in a well-insulated Greek attic you may find 100–150 mm of mineral wool; in a modern, energy-efficient property 200–270 mm is common. Note the depth now because it determines whether you need raised leg supports.
- 2
Calculate materials and choose the right boarding method
Measure the area you plan to board (width x length in metres) and add 10% for waste. Standard loft boards are 18 mm tongue-and-groove chipboard or OSB/3 panels, typically 1200x320 mm or 2400x600 mm. If your insulation sits at or above joist level — which is ideal for energy performance — do not compress it by laying boards directly on the joists. Instead, use raised loft legs (also called loft stilts) that clip onto the joist tops and lift the floor platform 100–270 mm, keeping insulation undisturbed. If insulation is low (under 50 mm) you can lay boards directly, but budget to top up insulation alongside this project to save on energy bills.
- 3
Fit the loft legs or prepare the joists
If using loft legs, snap or screw them onto the joist tops at regular intervals — typically every 400–600 mm along each joist and every 600 mm across the span. The manufacturer's load table tells you the exact grid spacing for your board thickness and expected load. If you are laying boards directly on joists, use a stiff brush to clear dust and debris from the joist tops so boards sit flat. In either case, check that any electrical cables running across or between joists are re-routed or protected by conduit before the floor goes over them — burying a live cable under a fixed floor is a fire risk.
- 4
Lay and fix the boards
Start from the loft hatch and work away from it so you are never trapping yourself in a corner. Lay boards perpendicular to the joists and stagger the joints — each row's end joint should be offset by at least one joist bay from the row before, exactly like brickwork. This distributes load and prevents long lines of weakness. Fix each board with 50–65 mm coarse-thread screws (not nails — nails work loose over time), driving two screws per joist crossing. Tongue-and-groove boards lock together on the long edges; tap them home with a mallet and scrap off-cut to close the joint. Leave a 10 mm expansion gap at walls and any solid obstacles.
- 5
Fit a proper loft hatch and check access
A boarded loft with no safe way in or out creates a trip hazard and, in a rental property, a liability. If your existing hatch is a bare square hole in the ceiling, fit a lined hatch frame and a fold-down loft ladder rated for domestic use — these are available from builders' merchants throughout Greece and require only basic carpentry to install. Finally, walk the entire boarded area, listen for squeaks (tighten those screws), verify that you can reach any water tanks, stop valves, or electrical junction boxes without lifting boards, and confirm that the ridge vent or any tile ventilation is not blocked by stored items. Good loft ventilation prevents the condensation that rots timber over the long term.
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FAQ
- Do I need a building permit to board my loft in Greece?
- For straightforward storage boarding — laying a walkable floor on existing ceiling joists without altering the roof structure, adding a staircase, or creating a habitable room — a permit is generally not required. However, if the project involves structural changes, a new floor opening, or converting the attic to a living space, Greek building regulations require a permit and a licensed civil engineer. If you are unsure, check with your local municipality (Δήμος) or a registered engineer before starting work.
- Will boarding my loft damage the insulation?
- Laying boards directly onto joists will compress or displace any insulation sitting in the joist bays, which reduces its thermal performance and can increase your heating and cooling costs significantly. The solution is raised loft legs: small supports that attach to joist tops and hold the floor platform 100–270 mm above the existing insulation layer, leaving it untouched. This approach is now considered best practice and adds very little to the overall cost of the project.
- How much weight can a boarded loft take?
- This depends entirely on your joist size, span, and spacing — not on the boarding itself. As a rough guide, standard domestic ceiling joists (50x100 mm at 400 mm centres) can typically support around 25 kg per square metre for storage use, which is enough for boxes and suitcases but not for heavy tools, water tanks, or stacked building materials. If you plan to store anything unusually heavy, have a structural engineer calculate the safe load before filling the space. Never assume additional load is safe without checking.