If the door doesn t have these weather strip it to provide a tight seal and make sure the latch pulls tightly against the frame.
How to make an attic hatch door.
They also give you an easy area to add hook fasteners if needed.
Purchase some 2 4 interior door jamb stock from your local building supply centre or any shop that supplies doors for homes.
The door hatch should close all the way pressing down on the gasket to create a full seal.
A better plan is to mount a piece of foam insulation to the top side of the door construction.
You are trying to save the drywall panel so work slowly to make clean cuts.
2 thick foam board 4 8 sheet with an r value of 10 orgreater you might need two sheets for larger hatches or to make it thicker 8 20 foamweather stripping the wider the better 1 can great stuff foam or similar 1 tube liquid nail or other construction adhesive.
The weekend warriors home improvement show built by parr lumb.
Why to make a scuttle hole in the attic.
If you have ceiling joists laid out in a way that you can not put a full sized pull down ladder in like us or you just don t need to access your attic much then a small attic access panel might be the best option.
Line the rim on top of the trim pieces with weatherstripping at minimum.
For this attic hatch you need.
Attach the rigid foam insulation to the attic side of the door.
Use a narrow drywall saw and cut along your joist lines first.
Make your cross cuts using a utility knife.
Learn how to insulate your attic door or hatch.
You should feel the saw touching the side of the joist as you cut.
If the attic hatch rests on the molding you should add 2 1 2 inch stops around the entire opening.
This generally comes in 7 lengths and you will need three pieces of it for a standard sized attic access hatch.
It s super easy and very inexpensive to put in a small attic access door like this one.
These new wood stops provide a larger area for attaching new weatherstripping.