Makely

Let's Make Life Awesome

You are visiting: Home » Decorating/DIY » Create Your Decor » How To Replace an Attic Cord with an easy Hook and Pull

How To Replace an Attic Cord with an easy Hook and Pull

by on 488 Comments

One of the little, irritating things that had bothered me in our home – for the past SIX years – was the cord for the pull down attic ladder on our second story ceiling.  I know, I know.  There are much bigger things in life to worry about, right?  But this cord wore me out.  Not only was it annoying that it was just hanging there, but the builder’s crew managed to paint it beige when they were spraying our house before we moved in.  With some added dust on top of it, it just looked gross and dirty.

how to replace an old, dirty attic cord with a cheap and easy hook and pull

One morning, I woke up and said, “That’s it.  I’m done with it.”  I went to Home Depot and bought a screw in ceiling hook, two washers, and a wing nut that would fit on the ceiling hook.  It cost about $3 in total.

how to replace an old, dirty attic cord with a cheap and easy hook and pull

I snipped off the cord pull from the attic and drilled the hole it was in to be a little wider to fit my hook.

how to replace an old, dirty attic cord with a cheap and easy hook and pull

Then, I added a washer to the hook and put the hook through the hole.

how to replace an old, dirty attic cord with a cheap and easy hook and pull

The screw just barely clears the wood on the backside of my attic door.  But, it was enough to add another washer and the wing nut to keep the hook secure.

how to replace an old, dirty attic cord with a cheap and easy hook and pull

At Home Depot, I also bought a 3/8″ wood dowel and drilled a hole into the end of it.  I screwed a screw hook into the end of it to use for a pull.  We had a whole box of those screw hooks in our garage for some reason, but they are really cheap to purchase if you don’t have random stockpiles like me.

how to replace an old, dirty attic cord with a cheap and easy hook and pull

I can use the dowel to pull down the attic door from its new hook instead of having that dirty string hanging there all the time.  I also use the dowel to push the attic door back up to the ceiling.

how to replace an old, dirty attic cord with a cheap and easy hook and pull

I store the dowel pull in the bathroom closet, so it’s easy to find when I need it.  It’s hidden away – and no more ugly cord!

how to replace an old, dirty attic cord with a cheap and easy hook and pull

 

You can buy “attic pull conversion kits” online, but they are over $20.  I spent less than $8.  Boom.

Do you have attic access in your ceiling?  Do you have a pull cord or a hook on the door?

About Lindsay Ballard

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Comments

  2. Elise says

    You are an inspiring smarty! Love your entire website. It has enabled me to avoid work, while looking like I’m working, for several months now! Thanks for that!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *