Choosing a Loft Ladder in Kent
Introduction
Looking for loft storage solutions Canterbury or aluminium loft ladders Sittingbourne? When you look at websites like screwfix.com or diy.com you notice there is quite a selection of ladders to choose from. When you start looking at specialist websites like ladderstore.com you’ll notice that there is a baffling array of loft ladders to choose from. Choosing a loft ladder isn’t as easy as it might initially seem, is your safety really worth leaving to guesswork or estimation?
Sliding Loft Ladders
These loft ladders are normally metal in construction although wooden ones are out there they are few and far between. These type of ladders usually attach to the joists in your loft or to a timber structure attached to your joists. They normally come in two and three sections and these basic kinds of ladders will fit in pretty much all but the smallest of hatches. These ladders normally come with some hinges and a latch/catch kit that will allow you to convert you exsisting hatch to a swing down door. This allows you to open the hatch and pull the ladder down with the pole that comes in the kit.
Concertina Loft Ladders
Concertina loft ladders in standard form are not for the faint hearted. They are hard to fit, not nice to use and quite wobbly to climb.. That being said in some circumstances they can provide a value for money approach to high loft hatches. Heavy Duty concertina loft ladders are a different kettle of fish though. Much more sturdy but also much more expensive. At Lofty Ladders we try to avoid concertina ladders if we can. Most people struggle with them and they cost much more than other solutions.
Telescopic Loft Ladders
Telescopic loft ladders are space savers, they normally sit in a spring loaded carriage that is fitting directly above the hatch and take up very little room in the loft behind the ladder and none to the left, right and front. We love telescopic ladders, they look great and they’re easy to use. They can be used in floor to floor heights of 2.1m to 2.9m and we’ve fitted them in hatches as small as 450mm x 500mm.
Folding Loft Ladders
Folding loft ladder from companies such as Youngman and Fakro are straightforward and simple to use. They normally attach to the door and once the door is down you simply walk backwards with the ladder and you’re done. simplicity at it’s best. They require little physical strength and come in a range of sizes from 55cm x 100cm to a massive 70cm x 1600cm. Most folding ladders are of wooden construction and come with a frame and hatch already attached.
Electric Loft Ladders
Electric loft ladders are luxury personified. They are basically wooden or metal folding ladders that have been motorised so you don’t have to touch the ladder once it’s installed and set up. All you have to do is reach for the remote. You can even get a bluetooth module so you can open and close your ladder from your phone or IOT system. Skylark electric loft ladders are made in Galway in Ireland and are top quality guaranteed for 10 years.
Things to consider
Weight: Most ladders have a maximum safe working load of 150kg.
Space: Space both in the loft and on the floor below and around your access point is crucial.
Conclusion
As you can see there are many things to consider when choosing a loft ladder. Let the experts take that worry outof your hands and give us a call for a free no obligation quote.