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I'm planning on adding a plywood floor to part of my attic. I have some old carpet that I'm thinking about laying on top of the plywood. Is this a bad idea?

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What do you plan to do with the attic space once it has a floor? – Steve Jackson Dec 10 '11 at 17:48
I'm just going to use it for storage space. – Michael Stalker Dec 10 '11 at 21:14
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One thing to consider is that if there is ever somehow carpet but no subfloor underneath, someone/thing may fall through the roof. This would only be a problem if the carpet and/or subfloor can move independently, and there is some area of the attic that you're not putting subfloor on. – gregmac Dec 12 '11 at 23:02

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It's not too unusual. The carpet will collect some dust and possibly insulation, and might have problems if it ever gets wet from a roof leak. On the plus side, the carpet will act as a little insulation and is quieter and cooler in the summer to walk on.

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On the downside, old carpet will probably encourage fungal growth in an attic space, which isn't great if you store books, clothes, and stuff like that up there. The insulating properties would be negligible, so I would suggest using purpose-made material on that front. – FumbleFingers Dec 19 '11 at 18:51
Good point. I live in Oklahoma where attic temperatures get well over 120, which dries out any fungus or mold. Other areas might not have the dry heat for that. – xpda Dec 19 '11 at 19:28
I can assure you many other areas are different. Not least, the UK, where I hail from! :) – FumbleFingers Dec 19 '11 at 19:42

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