The short answer
Usually yes. When the foam has gone and the roof timbers have been checked, boards can go back over the loft floor. The trick is to lift them on raised supports so they sit above the insulation instead of squashing it, and to leave the eaves clear. Boards laid straight on top of mineral wool flatten it and defeat its purpose.
Loft boards and insulation work together or not at all. Raising the boards keeps the wool fluffy and the roof space able to breathe.
Why boards come up during foam removal
Many foamed lofts are boarded. The boards were laid for storage first, then the foam went on around them. To reach the foam on the rafters and clear it properly, the boards usually have to come up. It is also how we get a safe, level footing to work from without putting a foot through the ceiling below.
Will my boards survive?
Often they do, as long as they are lifted carefully and the foam can be cleaned off them. Plywood or chipboard sheets that have been sprayed on one face will need scraping or replacing. Boards that have been damp, soft or marked should not go back, and we tell you if any are past reusing.
The condition of the ceiling joists underneath matters as well, because they carry the boards and anything stored on them. Once the boards are off, we look at the joists as well as the roof timbers. If you plan to keep the loft as a store, tell us at the survey, so that we leave it ready for boards from the start rather than discovering the plan on the last day.
Keeping the insulation from being crushed
Mineral wool insulates by trapping air in its fibres. Press it flat and it loses much of that trapped air, so the loft keeps less heat in. A board laid straight onto the wool does exactly that, because the weight of the board, and of whatever is stored on it, squashes the layer beneath.
How do boards sit above the insulation?
The usual answer is a raised platform. Timber battens or purpose-made stilts are fixed across the ceiling joists, the boards go on top, and the wool lies underneath at its full depth. Raising the boards also helps where new insulation is laid over the joists, since it fills the space instead of being forced down.
You do not have to board the whole loft. A modest area around the hatch, wide enough to reach the water tank and store a few boxes, saves cost and keeps most of the loft clear for insulation. Anything heavy is better kept near the hatch than out in the middle of the span. The insulation itself is covered in our guide on what happens after spray foam removal.
Leaving the eaves clear so the roof can breathe
Eaves is the word for the bottom of each slope, where the roof overhangs the wall. In a traditional cold roof, air enters there and moves up under the covering, carrying moisture away. BS 5250 is the code of practice on moisture in buildings. Marley sets out an opening of 10mm along the eaves for pitches over 15 degrees, and 25mm for 15 degrees or less, with a non-breathable underlay. A breathable underlay can work differently, so your roofer checks which you have.
Can boards block the airflow?
They can. Boards or stored items pushed hard against the eaves, or insulation stuffed into the gap, close off the path the air should take. Keep boards and boxes clear of the low edge, and ask your roofer to check that the eaves are open when the loft is finished. We look at that on the last day and show you the gap.
This matters even more for a roof that has been foamed in the past, since the whole reason for removing the foam is often to let the timbers dry and be seen. Our page on spray foam and roof ventilation explains how airflow and insulation are balanced once the foam is gone.
Planning the loft before the work starts
The best time to decide about boarding is before removal begins. Tell us during the survey how you use the loft: a few suitcases, the Christmas decorations, or a proper store with a ladder and a light. That shapes the plan for supports, for where the wool stops and for how the hatch is arranged, and it avoids doing the same work twice.
What if I want to convert the loft?
Storage boarding is a different thing from a loft conversion. A conversion brings in Building Regulations, with floor strength, escape routes and insulation standards, and your building control body deals with those. Our removal work leaves the structure clear and photographed, which helps whoever designs the conversion. For more on the conversion side, read spray foam removal in a loft conversion.
If you simply want boards back, we can leave the supports in place and the loft ready for them, or lay a boarded area ourselves, depending on what you agree. The price is one written total after the survey. Details of the whole service are on our spray foam insulation removal page.
More on boarding the loft
Will boarding the whole loft cause problems?
It can. Boards across the whole floor either squash the insulation or force it out of the way, and they can close the eaves, where air needs to enter the roof. A raised, partial board near the hatch gives you storage and leaves the rest of the wool and the airflow as they should be.
Can I put the old boards back?
Sometimes. Clean, dry boards that have not been marked or softened by damp can go back on raised supports. Boards that have been sprayed on one face, or that show staining or soft edges, are better replaced. We tell you during the work which ones are worth keeping.
The full picture: Spray foam insulation removal in Taunton ยท More short answers