Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
I
KIT AND METHOD FOR SEALED COVERAGE OF AN ATTIC ACCESS OPENING
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to solutions for covering an attic
access opening in the ceiling of a building, and more specifically to a kit
and method
useful to provide both coverage thereof during the attic and ceiling finishing
stages of
the building construction, and an aesthetic final appearance once the
finishing stages
are completed.
BACKGROUND
Typical construction of an attic access door involves fastening of a
wooden frame (or jamb) inside the ceiling between adjacent ceiling joists to
delimit the
attic access opening. Wood casing or trim is nailed to the underside of the
jamb over
the finished ceiling. A foam gasket is installed on the top edge of the jamb
and an
insulated box sits on top of that gasket to act as an openable/closeable door.
The box
is typically made as a plywood box filled with fibreglass batting, or stacked
blocks of
rigid polystyrene insulation with a plywood sheet fastened to the underside of
the stack.
To gain access to the attic, this insulated box is made 1/2-inch to 1-inch
smaller than the cavity between the ceiling joists so that the insulated box
can be
pushed up through the cavity into the attic space. This 1/2-inch ¨ 1-inch gap
between
the insulated box and the ceiling joists has no insulation and can be very
difficult to
equip with a fully functioning seal, resulting in escape of air and vapours
from the main
interior space of the building to the attic space between the jamb and the
ceiling joists.
In at least some jurisdictions, building code now requires the R-value
(thermal resistance) of the covered access opening to be equivalent to the
rest of the
ceiling. To achieve this equivalent R-value, the insulated box often has to be
built to a
minimum height of 12-inches. As a result, the insulated box can be
particularly heavy
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and awkward to push up through the cavity.
In the typical case where the attic has blown-in loose-fill insulation, when
the insulated box or door is pushed up and placed into the attic space to
enable access
to the attic through the opening, the box or door has to sit on top of the
blown-in
insulation. This causes compression of the insulation, and a resulting
reduction in the
effectiveness thereof. The person exiting the attic space can attempt to fluff
up the
insulation to counteract its compaction by the door, however this can be a
challenging
task, particularly due to the need to hold the attic door in a balanced manner
over the
attic opening with one hand while using the other hand to try and re-fluff the
insulation
with the other hand.
Rather than temporarily placing the box on the insulation, one can
alternatively raise the box up off the frame or jamb, and manually turn the
box into an
orientation in which it can be withdrawn down through the cavity and stored in
the main
interior space of the building until such time attic access is no longer
required, at which
time the box is lifted back up through the cavity and re-oriented into its
seated position
atop the frame or jamb. This approach may present some safety concern,
specifically
in that two hands are required to lift and reorient the bulky insulated box,
creating a
potential fall hazard for the person standing atop a ladder or other elevated
structure to
access the attic opening.
Typically the frames of attic access openings are made from wood, and
usually not installed until the finish carpenter arrives to install the
interior woodwork.
Quite often this is performed several months after the ceiling is insulated.
If the building
is being constructed during winter months, there is a considerable amount of
heat loss
through the opening, which results in unnecessary expense and potential damage
to
the attic insulation from frost build up within the attic. After the finish
carpenter builds
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-16
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and installs the attic access door, the painter usually removes the door a
couple weeks
later for several days during painting which, also leaves the attic space
open.
In view of the forgoing shortcomings, it is desirable to provide an improved
solution for the coverage of attic access openings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an attic
access covering kit for providing sealed closure of an attic access opening in
a ceiling,
the kit comprising:
a cover panel sized to span a full area of the access opening;
a perimeter seal attached or attachable to a topside of the cover panel to
run along a perimeter of the cover panel in a position providing a sealed
closure
between the cover panel and framing members in the ceiling that delimit the
attic access
opening; and
a decorative frame sized to overlie the perimeter of the cover panel at an
underside thereof in an installed position placing an inner periphery of the
decorative
frame inward from the perimeter of the cover panel and an outer periphery of
the
decorative frame outward from the perimeter of the cover panel.
Preferably the perimeter seal is attached to the topside of the cover panel,
and the panel further comprises alignment guides attached to the topside of
the cover
panel and standing upward therefrom at positions adjacently inward of the
perimeter
seal.
Preferably there is provided a secondary panel for overlying the cover
panel in an installed position concealing a perimeter of the secondary panel
between
the decorative frame and the cover panel.
The secondary panel and the decorative frame may be separate from one
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-16
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another and have respective fastener holes therein which align with one
another when
the secondary panel and the decorative frame are cooperatively mated together.
Preferably the cover panel and the decorative frame have respective
fastener holes therein which align with one another when the decorative frame
is placed
over the cover panel in the installed position.
Preferably the cover panel is air and vapour impermeable.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method
of using the aforementioned kit, the method comprising:
with the ceiling in an unfinished state, installing the cover panel and the
.. perimeter seal over bottom edges of the framing members in the ceiling to
achieve the
installed position with the sealed closure between the cover panel and the
framing
members;
with the cover panel in the installed position, performing interior finish
work on the ceiling around the installed cover panel; and
after the interior finish work, installing the decorative frame over the cover
panel.
Preferably, after the interior finish work and before installation of the
decorative frame, the method includes temporarily removing the cover panel
from the
attic access opening to enable application of insulation to the ceiling from
within the
attic.
Preferably, after application of insulation to the ceiling, and prior to
installation of the decorative frame, the method includes filling a cavity
space over the
access opening with batt insulation via the access opening, and re-installing
the cover
panel over said access opening.
Preferably, re-installing the cover panel comprises fastening the cover
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-16
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panel in place prior to installation of the decorative frame.
Preferably, installation of the decorative frame comprises subsequently
fastening the decorative frame in place through the cover panel.
Preferably, installation of the decorative frame comprises driving the
fasteners through aligned sets of pre-defined fastener holes in the decorative
frame
and the cover panel.
Preferably, installation of the cover panel comprises placing the cover
panel over a vapour barrier of the ceiling that overlaps or covers the bottom
edges of
the framing members so that the sealed closure between the cover panel and the
framing members comprises sealed contact between the perimeter seal of the
cover
panel and the vapour barrier of the ceiling.
The interior finish work may comprise drywall installation, during which
drywall is installed in close proximity around the perimeter of the cover
panel for
concealment of drywall edges beneath the decorative frame once installed. In
such
instances, the drywall installation preferably comprises drywall taping.
The interior finish work may comprise interior painting of the ceiling,
including painting of the ceiling up to close proximity with the perimeter of
the cover
panel to provide a seamless paint finish that extends behind the decorative
frame once
installed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a fully installed cover assembly for an attic opening in
a ceiling, as viewed in vertical cross-section.
Figure 2 is an exploded view of the cover assembly of Figure 1.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-16
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In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Figure 1 shows a cover assembly 1 of the present invention in a fully
installed state over an attic access opening 10 in a finished ceiling. The
attic access
opening 10 is rectangular in shape and delimited by a pair of parallel ceiling
joists, the
bottom edge of one of which can be seen at 12, and a pair of bridging or
blocking
members 14 (e.g. pieces of 2 x 4 lumber) perpendicularly spanning between the
two
ceiling joists at spaced apart positions therealong. Each joist and each
blocking
member thus defines a respective one of the four sides of the rectangular
access
opening 10. Accordingly, the ceiling joists and bridging/blocking members in
the ceiling
define respective framing members that collectively define a framework or jamb
of the
attic access opening 10. A respective upright panel 16 (e.g. a piece of
plywood
sheeting) is fastened to each framing member 12, 14 at the side thereof facing
into the
access opening 10 so as to stand vertically upright over the full length of
the framing
member. These panels 16 define respective cavity walls that collectively
delimit an attic
access cavity 18 disposed immediately above the attic access opening 10. Loose-
fill
ceiling insulation 20 piled up in the attic space around the access cavity
between the
ceiling joists is prevented from spilling over the framing members into the
access cavity
18 by these cavity wall panels 16.
The cover assembly 1 features a main cover panel 22, a secondary panel
24, a decorative frame 26, and a perimeter seal 28, and is held in the fully
installed
position of figure 1 by way of threaded screw fasteners 30 driven into the
framing
members 12, 14 of the ceiling through aligned sets of fastener holes 32, 33,
34 in the
main cover panel 22, secondary panel 24 and decorative frame 26.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-16
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The main cover panel 22 is a rectangular panel of slightly greater width
and length than the attic access opening 10 so that placement of the cover
panel 22
over the access opening with the perimeter of the cover panel 22 underlying
the four
framing members 12, 14 that surround the opening 10 will fully conceal the
entirety of
the opening 10 behind the cover panel 22. The perimeter seal 28, which may for
example be closed-cell foam, is applied to the topside of the cover panel 22
(i.e. the
side facing toward the ceiling) at, or a short distance inward, from the
perimeter of the
main cover panel 22 on all sides thereof so as to fully cover a perimeter-
adjacent outer
area of the cover panel 22. This way, the aforementioned placement of the
cover panel
22 over the attic access opening 10 will sandwich the perimeter seal 28
between the
cover panel 22 and the bottom edges of the framing members 12, 14 in the
ceiling,
thereby compressing the seal 28 to create or contribute to a sealed closure
between
the cover panel 22 and the framing members 12, 14.
A set of positioning blocks 36 stand upright from the topside of the main
cover panel 22 just inwardly from the perimeter seal 28 for use as alignment
guides
during placement of cover panel 22 over the attic access opening. The blocks
36 are
spaced apart such that a distance from the outer side of a first block (i.e.
the side thereof
nearest the perimeter of the cover panel 22) to the outer side of a second
block that lies
opposite to the first block across a respective dimension of the panel is only
slightly
smaller than a corresponding dimension of the attic opening. Accordingly,
raising the
cover panel 22 in a manner inserting the positioning blocks 36 into the attic
access
opening 10 will automatically place the perimeter seal 28 in proper alignment
over the
bottom edges of the framing members 12, 14. The illustrated embodiment
features four
positioning blocks (two of which are visible in the figures), each residing
near a
respective corner of the cover panel 22. In other embodiments, the positioning
blocks
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-16
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may be omitted, in which case the installer may rely on visual alignment of
the cover
panel 22 over the framing members in the ceiling.
The ceiling features a layer of vapour barrier sheeting 38 installed over
the bottom edges of the ceiling joists to block vapour transfer between the
main interior
space of the building and the attic space thereabove. This vapour barrier 38
is cut-out
at the attic access opening 10, but extends far enough theretoward so as to
fully cover,
or least partially overlap, the bottom edges of the perimeter members 12, 14
that delimit
the access opening 10. The vapour barrier 38 is secured, and preferably
sealed, to the
framing members 12, 14. For example, the vapour barrier may span fully across
the
bottom edges of the framing members 12, 14 and wrap up the inner sides thereof
that
face into the access opening, where suitable vapour barrier sealant secures
the vapour
barrier to the framing members in a vapour-tight manner around the full
perimeter of
the access opening 10. In such instances, the sealed closure between the cover
panel
22 and the framing members 12, 14 therefore includes compression of the
perimeter
seal 28 of the cover panel 22 against the vapour barrier 38, plus the sealant-
defined
securement of the vapour barrier to the framing members. Even if the vapour
barrier is
not independently sealed and/or secured to the framing members, fastening of
the
cover panel 22 into place with the vapour barrier sandwiched between the cover
panel's
perimeter seal and the framing members may nonetheless provide a sufficiently
effective vapour barrier and hermetic seal through the cooperation of the
vapour barrier
and perimeter seal. Likewise, even if the vapour barrier doesn't overlap the
coverage
of the cover panel 22 in the above-described manner, compression of the seal
28 in
direct contact against the framing members may nonetheless provide an improved
vapour/air seal relative to conventional attic closure means.
The secondary panel 24 is equally or similarly sized to the main cover
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-16
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panel 22 in order to overlie the underside of the cover panel 22 (i.e. the
side thereof
opposite the ceiling) in a position mated with the decorative frame 26. The
decorative
frame 26 features four pieces of profiled moulding connected together end-to-
end at
right angles to delimit a rectangular opening of only slightly smaller length
and width
than the secondary panel 34. The profile of each moulding features a thicker
outer
portion 26a at the outer perimeter of the decorative frame and a thinner inner
portion
26b at the inner perimeter of the decorative frame that delimits the
rectangular opening
thereof. The height differential between the inner and outer portions of each
moulding
is defined at least partially at the topside thereof, whereby the top profile
of the
decorative frame has a stepped shape that steps down in height toward the
decorative
frame's inner perimeter. The thinner inner portions 26b of the mouldings at
this stepped
down area of the decorative frame thus define a seat 40 atop which the
secondary
panel 24 resides in the completed assembly of Figure 1. The depth of the seat
40, i.e.
the height differential between the inner and outer portions 26a, 26b of the
decorative
frame at the stepped topside thereof, equals or slightly exceeds the thickness
of the
secondary panel 24 so that the secondary panel doesn't act to space the
decorative
frame 26 outwardly away from the main covering panel 22 that is concealed
behind the
secondary panel 24 in the fully installed state of the assembly.
Having described the structure of the installed assembly of Figure 1,
attention is now turned to its installation and use. The cover panel 22 and
the decorative
frame 26 are provided as separate components of a kit, which also includes the
secondary panel 24 and the perimeter seal 28. The threaded fasteners 30 may be
included in the kit, or obtained separately. The perimeter seal 28 is
preferably pre-
attached to the cover panel 22 by the manufacturer, but alternatively could be
applied
to the cover panel 22 by the installer at the time of initial installation.
The decorative
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-16
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frame 26 and secondary panel 24 may likewise be pre-assembled at the factory,
or
provided as separate components that are subsequently mated together during
the
installation process, as illustrated in Figure 2.
During construction of a building, with the framing of the building
completed and the ceiling joists thus in place, but prior to finishing of the
ceiling and
insulating of the ceiling/attic, an installer fastens the bridging or blocking
members 14
in place between the adjacent ceiling joists to form the boundaries of the
attic access
opening 10. At this point, the vapour barrier 38 is installed (or modified if
already
installed) so as to overlap or cover the bottom edges of the framing members
12, 14
while leaving the attic access opening 10 unobstructed, for example by cutting
the
vapour barrier along the perimeter of the attic access opening at the inner
sides of the
framing members 12, 14, and sealing or otherwise securing the vapour barrier
38
thereto. With the vapour barrier 38 in place, the cover panel 22 and attached
perimeter
seal 28 are raised up into alignment over the attic access opening 10 and
surrounding
framing members 12, 14, and fastened in place by driving a first set of the
threaded
screw fasteners 30 into the framing members 12, 14 via the pre-defined
fastener holes
32 provided in the cover plate at spaced apart locations around and near the
perimeter
of the cover plate. Tightened up against the framing members 12, 14 by the
fasteners
30, the cover panel 22 compresses the perimeter seal 28 up against the vapour
barrier
38 and underlying framing members 12, 14. The cover panel 22 is made of PVC or
other vapour and air impermeable material, whereby the perimeter seal 28, the
vapour
barrier 38, and the impermeable cover panel 22 provide a vapour-tight closure
of the
attic opening 10, which in addition to preventing vapour transmission between
the attic
and main interior space, likewise blocks or limits airflow therebetween.
With the cover panel 22 in place, but the decorative frame 26 and
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-16
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secondary panel 24 not yet installed, drywall 42 or other interior finishing
material can
be installed on the ceiling. In the case of drywall installation, drywall
sheets 42 are first
fastened up against the bottom edges of the ceiling joists to cover the
substantial
majority of the ceiling, while leaving the attic access opening 10 uncovered.
That is,
one or more of these drywalls sheets 42 is cut to an appropriate shape and
size before
installation so as to terminate short of the attic opening 10 in close
proximity to the
perimeter of the previously installed cover panel 22. Depending on the
particular layout
of drywall sheets to fit the room, this may be created by cutting a
rectangular hole into
a singular sheet of drywall with a hole-size slightly larger than the cover
panel 22, or by
cutting openings into perimeter edges of drywall sheets 42 that meet together
around
the attic access opening.
With the drywall sheets fastened to the ceiling joists in a manner leaving
a drywall void on the ceiling at the previously installed cover panel 22, the
cover panel
is temporarily removed by disengaging the fasteners 30 from the framing
members 12,
14 to once again reveal the attic access opening 10. An insulation installer
can then
enter the attic space through the access opening 10 and apply blown-in loose-
fill
insulation 20 (or other insulation) to the attic space and ceiling in a manner
filling the
inter-joist cavities of the ceiling with the insulation 20. With this
attic/ceiling insulating
procedure completed, the insulation installer can exit the attic space via the
access
opening 10 currently unobstructed by the removed cover panel 22. During this
exit from
the attic space, the insulation installer fills the access cavity 18 and
access opening 10
with fibreglass ball insulation 44, for example to a thickness achieving an
equivalent R-
value to the surrounding blown-in insulation 20.
At this point, with the insulation of the attic/ceiling complete, the cover
panel 22 is re-installed in the same manner described above in order to re-
close and
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-16
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re-seal the attic access opening 10 in a position underlying insulation-filled
access
cavity 18 With the drywall sheets having been previously fastened to the
ceiling joists,
and with additional drywall sheets likewise applied to any other drywall-
intended walls
of the room, taping and mudding of the drywall is then completed. During the
application and drying stages of this drywall finishing process, the installed
position of
the cover panel 22 and the sealed closure around the perimeter thereof blocks
moisture-rich air from the drywall finishing processes from accessing the
attic space.
With the drywall installation complete, the ceiling (and any other paint-
requiring walls)
can be painted and allowed to dry, during which the installed cover panel 22
again
blocks moisture-rich air from gaining access to the attic space. The ceiling
is painted
right up to the unfinished edges of the drywall that closely surround the
installed cover
panel 22.
When the paint has fully dried, the secondary panel 24 is seated atop the
decorative frame 26, the combination of which is then installed over the cover
panel 22,
whereupon the outer portion 26a of the decorative frame at the outer periphery
thereof
resides outwardly from the perimeter of the cover panel 22 to overly the area
at which
the cover panel 22 and the drywall 42 closely meet so as to conceal the seam
or gap
between them, while the inner portion 26b of the decorative frame at the inner
periphery
thereof resides inwardly from the perimeter of the cover panel to conceal the
perimeter
of both panels and the respective fastener holes 32, 33 therein. The edge of
the drywall
is thus concealed by the decorative frame 26, and the painted finish on
underside of
the ceiling drywall 42 extends continuously and seamlessly behind the outer
portion
26a of the decorative frame. The profiled molding of the decorative frame
provides a
clean, finished, aesthetically pleasing border around the attic opening 10 and
corresponding cover panel 22, which is likewise fully concealed by the
secondary panel
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24. The concealment of the cover panel 22 by the secondary panel 24 hides any
scuffs,
marks or other imperfections on the underside the cover panel 22, for example
as may
occur during the drywall and painting processes. The secondary panel 24 may be
materially distinct from the cover panel, and for example may be a pre-
finished
melamine panel of matching or similar colour to the decorative frame 26. Since
the
PVC cover panel forms a direct air/vapour barrier over the attic access
opening 10,
air/vapour impermeability is not essential at the secondary panel 24, and so
lower cost
materials may be used for the secondary panel.
The illustrated embodiment features respective sets of fastener holes 32,
33, 34 in the cover panel 22, secondary panel 24 and the decorative frame 26
that align
with one another when the rectangular shapes of these components are aligned.
The
fastener holes 32 in the cover panel 22 are countersunk at the underside of
the cover
panel 22, whereby a first set of flat-headed countersunk fasteners are used to
directly
hold only the cover panel 22 in place initially, with the tapered heads of the
countersunk
fasteners being recessed into the countersunk ends of the cover panel's
fastener holes
32 so as not to interfere with placement of the secondary panel 24 in flush
abutment
against the underside of the cover panel. The secondary panel and decorative
frame,
if not integrally-defined or factory-assembled, are mated together by the
installer, and
raised up to the already-fastened cover panel 22 in an aligned state matching
up
fastener holes 33, 34 in the secondary panel 24 and decorative frame 26 with
the
unused fastener holes in the cover panel 22. A second set of screws are driven
through
these aligned holes in the three components 22, 24, 26 into the framing
members 12,
14 to secure the decorative frame 26 and secondary panel in place 24 to the
cover
panel 22, thereby also further reinforcing the already-fastened position of
the cover
panel 22.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-16
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The number of fastener holes 34 in the decorative frame 26 may be less
than the number of fastener holes in the cover panel 22 such that there are no
fastener
holes in the decorative frame 26 at locations where corresponding fastener
holes in the
cover panel 22 are already occupied by the first set of fasteners that
directly fasten only
the cover panel 22 to the ceiling. Alternatively, the kit may comprise plugs
for capping
off select fastener holes in the decorative frame that are unavailable for use
due to
occupancy of the corresponding fastener holes in the cover panel by the first
set of
fasteners. In either case, no unoccupied holes in the decorative frame are
visible,
thereby ensuring a clean finished appearance.
The decorative frame may feature PVC moulding, though other materials
can alternatively be used. For example, the decorative frame and/or secondary
panel
may be made of pre-finished or unfinished paintable/stainable wood. While the
illustrated embodiment features pre-defined fastener holes in each of the
cover panel,
secondary panel and decorative frame 26, other embodiments may lack such pre-
defined fastener holes. However, pre-defined fastener holes help with proper
fastener
alignment to ensure engagement of the fasteners into the framing members. The
illustrated hole positions align with the perimeter seal 28 of the cover panel
22 so that
the fasteners 30 will penetrate through the seal 28, whereby the seal will
conform
around the fastener to maintain an optimal seal even where the fasteners
penetrate the
cover panel 22. In the case of a wood frame, predefined fastener holes may not
be
necessary, and countersunk fastener heads can optionally be concealed with
suitable
filler, which can then be painted or stained to match the remainder of the
decorative
frame. However, white PVC moulding provides a durable, colour neutral, pre-
finished
frame requiring no on-site finishing steps. A white melamine secondary panel
provides
a cost efficient and close colour match to the white PVC moulding of the
decorative
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-16
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frame.
The disclosed kit avoids the bulky insulated box of conventional attic
closure solutions, and employs lightweight panels and decorative trim mounted
that are
exclusively external of the attic opening and cavity, and are each easily
raisable/lowerable into and out of place with one hand. This avoids both the
undesirable compression of the attic insulation by raising of an insulated box
upwardly
from the access cavity, and the alternative two-handed manipulation required
to lower
an insulated box downwardly out of the access cavity.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above
described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made
within the
scope of the claims without departure from such scope, it is intended that all
matter
contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as
illustrative only and
not in a limiting sense.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-03-16
