Replies

1. 
   harrisdog43 | Sep 17, 2008 03:35pm | #1

   This past weekend I installed a Louisville Ladder aluminum one. It is rated at 350 lbs. I have used Werner in the past but it was rated at 250 lbs. and this homeowner wanted bigger. Be sure to measure your ceiling height before purchase as well as the existing opening. I picked it up at HD. The Werners have never given a problem but he LL seems better made.

   john

1. 
   GregGibson | Sep 17, 2008 03:39pm | #2

   Oh, yeah, I second the Louisville Ladder recommendation - they're awesome. My big 240 lb butt with a heavy box, the 350# rating makes me feel better. They're well engineered for a folding stair, better than any wooden one I've seen.Greg

2. 
   blownonfuel | Sep 17, 2008 03:39pm | #3

   Thanks HD. Do you know if the big box stores can get the LL ladder? I saw the Werner one and it seems okay.

1. 
   harrisdog43 | Sep 17, 2008 03:43pm | #5

   HD and Lowe's carry them, the LL is at HD in my area ( west of San Antonio). Werner is good, but LL was heavier duty.

1. 
   blownonfuel | Sep 17, 2008 03:47pm | #6

   Hey another Texan. Happy belated BTW.

1. 
   harrisdog43 | Sep 18, 2008 03:05am | #10

   Thanks for the belated wishes...officially eligible for Medicare, can't afford the damn stuff, but at least I made it this far. Next year I can get SS but no way near being able to retire.Ole John

3. 
   blownonfuel | Sep 17, 2008 03:42pm | #4

   Thanks HD. I see where you picked it up at HD. I'll go take a look.

    

   Thanks again.

4. 
   gfretwell | Sep 17, 2008 08:53pm | #7

   Another vote for the LL. I just installed one and everyone who has seen it is amazed. This ain't your normal rickety attic ladder.

2. 
   Frankie | Sep 17, 2008 10:24pm | #8

   Best in the business -

   http://www.bessler.com/mod100.htm

   800lbs load capacity.

   NOT a fold-out unit.

   Frankie

   Flay your Suffolk bought-this-morning sole with organic hand-cracked pepper and blasted salt.

   Thrill each side for four minutes at torchmark haut. Interrogate a lemon.

   Embarrass any tough roots from the samphire. Then bamboozle till it's al dente with that certain je ne sais quoi.

   Arabella Weir as Minty Marchmont - Posh Nosh

1. 
   blownonfuel | Sep 17, 2008 11:07pm | #9

   Thanks Frankie. Looks pretty stout.

2. 
   JDRHI | Sep 25, 2008 07:15pm | #16

   Bessler is the one I'd recomend as well.

   If attic sees use regularly for storage, it's certainly the way to go.

   J. D. Reynolds

   Home Improvements

    

    

    

3. 
   JeffBuck | Sep 19, 2008 03:33am | #11

   I installed some disappearing attic stairs once ...

   went back the next day and couldn't find them

    

   Jeff

       Buck Construction

    Artistry In Carpentry

        Pittsburgh Pa

4. 
   BilljustBill | Sep 19, 2008 04:57am | #12

   I've put in 5 of the folding ladder version over the last 30 years.  Three have the 1x4 steps and side rails and two have been the 1x6" material for both parts.  The smaller versions were great new $15 finds at the local monthly flea market many years ago and have held-up well.  They just seem wobbly and narrow.

     I would tell you that the heavier 1x6 version requires a wider opening, has a wider set of steps, and retail at the box stores for about $125.  That size is what you want.  When you are going up with your arms loaded with heavy or bulky items, the wider opening is easier to get through and the wider treads are much more stable and comfortable which translates into added safety.

     In the future, I'll replace the narrow sets, as I'm an aging spring chicken...  I know a younger lady in her mid 40's who tried going down an attic ladder facing out, not going down and facing the steps.  Her foot slipped and then hung on one of the rungs/steps and she fell forward while the toe end of her foot slipped between the step and wooden ceiling panel.  Ankle surgery, dental work, and two black eyes were the results.  You have to remember they are like ladders not like staircases.

     I wouldn't take for the storage access and ease of getting up there.  Don't forget about having a switched light, regular or two-way, at the top of the stairs so you can see how to arrange and find your storage boxes.  Also, on the 3/4" plywood you'll have over the ceiling joists, go by the paint dept. at the box stores and look for some $5.00 a gallon "OOPS" paint.  I'll find a neutral color in an exterior semi-gloss and paint that plywood.  It helps reflect the limited light, plus the semi-gloss is tough and slick enough to allow your storage boxes or plastic storage tubs to easily slide around in a usually hot or cold limited space.

      I guess you see that the ladder stairs are just the beginning...hope the you get the "whole" picture.... ;>)

      Bill

5. 
   reinvent | Sep 19, 2008 06:02am | #13

   These are nicely made and very tight. You wont loose $ thru lost heat.

   http://www.conservationtechnology.com/downloads/AtticLadder.pdf

1. 
   blownonfuel | Sep 25, 2008 04:24pm | #14

   Thanks for all the good ideas.

1. 
   AitchKay | Sep 25, 2008 07:03pm | #15

   I've never used an RCT, although I've used their weatherstripping router, bur I think that Precision Ladders Super Simplex is probably the Cadillac of attic stairs. They make them fire-rated, which is pretty cool. Expensive, though.I fixed a Bessler once that was popping of its track. Either the treads were cut too short, or the dadoes were cut too deep. Anyway, it was too narrow. I pulled out the screws one step at a time, slipped a tongue depressor into each dado, and replaced the screws. Some 30 tongue depressors later, I had the stairs working smoothly. Now that I knew exactly how long replacement treads would have to be, I called Bessler. They said that since I'd fixed it, there was no need to replace the treads.Kinda surprised me, but I guess it was OK.AitchKay