Joist hanger screws have a very important role to play in our lives, and yet most people have not even heard of them. In every home, there are dozens and dozens of them that help hold it together; they are a vital part of our homes.
If you are attempting any major renovation or DIY work, it is important that you understand the role they play in the home so that.
a) Does not damage existing ones or
b) Replace and repair any of them that need to do so
Because without them, you are in a world of trouble!
Joist hangers are very similar to their name: they are use to hang joists. Specifically, they are use to anchor ceilings, floors, etc., in a safe way. They are literally withholding everything in almost every home.
These days they are generally make of metal (usually steel or aluminum) due to both strength and wear resistance. That said, it is still possible to find some made of wood.
They are specially design to connect to beams (usually wood) on 3 sides of the beam, providing additional support to your load. The beam hanger is attach to the beam using screws or nails, and has a faceplate that connects it, distributing the weight. This means that the connection is as secure as possible.
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Advantage
The main advantage of joist hanger screws supports from other methods of securing floors, and the like is that they can withstand much more “punishment” without warping or twisting in the way that screws or nails would if used alone. They are the safest way to keep the house together!
Modern technology has improved the materials available to the construction industry. Engineered wood products have pushed the limits of design to lengths that seemed unattainable just a few years ago. Engineered floor joists are one of these wonderful new products that give the architect and builder more flexibility in design and the homeowner a better, stronger home.
The longest engineered floor beam you can order today is over 50 feet long. Can you imagine the size of a tree it would take to produce a piece of lumber 50 feet long and 24 inches wide? Think of the trees that are save each year by making these monstrous faux wood beams.
Technology
To the observer unfamiliar with the physics related to wood I-beam technology, it would appear that engineered beams are not strong enough to support the weight they can support. I-beams get their strength from the depth of the beam, not its width. To demonstrate this fact, simply take a standard 8 to 10 foot long 2×4, place it vertically so the narrow side is facing up, support it at both ends and stand on it. Next, turn the 2×4 horizontally, so that the wide side is facing up and stand on it.
Notice how much more the 2×4 deviates when the wide side is up. The force of any beam is directly proportional to its depth and only minimally related to its width. Therefore, a thin, deep I-beam can withstand the same load as thicker, shallow wood floor beams. The top and bottom flanges of wood I-beams are important for nailing surfaces and to prevent the thinnest part of the I-beam from twisting.
Engineered beams, also known as wood I-beams, have become widespread throughout the construction industry and offer the best material available for building a greenhouse today. The use of engineered floor beams has many advantages when building:
Engineered joists are make from wood chips and use toxic-free resins as binding agents, making them very environmentally friendly.
Lighter than standard dimensional lumber means easier handling and lower construction costs.
Wood I-beams are stronger than traditional wood beams, so they can span longer spans or require fewer floor joists to meet code requirements for floor loads.
Engineere beams are straighter, more uniform, resist warping and twisting, and provide larger nailing or gluing surface compare to standard dimension lumber use for hardwood floor beams.
Engineered floor beams are cut to size at the factory to the precise length require, so time and waste are minimized at the construction site.
Builders can use standard construction techniques. Joist hangers when building with engineer floor joists, so no special skills are require. Because fewer wood I-beams are require for the same floor load, construction time is reduce, and shipping costs are reduce.
All of the factors associated with engineered wood beams make them the perfect building material to use when you want to build green. The use of wood chips, less fuel required for transportation, and less material in the construction process. For the same support make engineered floor joists the best choice when the green building is important to you.
Building a Timber Decking Joist
Today, wooden patio decks are a very popular addition to the English garden.
There are a wide variety of wooden deck kits available online, and most are relatively easy to build, provided you have a few basic DIY tools and a little experience.
There are four different reasons to build the joist subframe:
1. The joist hanger screws provides a structurally sound foundation upon which the deck joists are mounted.
2. Only treated wood of hazard class 4 should be in contact with the ground. C16 wood is the most common strength class in Great Britain. That is widely specified by architects and builders, amongst other things, for floor joists and deck joists. C16 wood limits the number of defects (knots, grain deviation, etc.) that pass through the wood.
3. The beam frame will provide much needed lateral stiffness
4. The rafter frame will not seat or sag, nor will it sag or sag in a corner.
Use of support posts on elevated decks with joist hanger screws
Most elevated platforms use pole centers (set no more than 3000mm), each. Which sits on or on top of a concrete base.
Fixing the rafters
Depending on the precise type of deck you are building, deck beams can be attached in a number of different ways. For a ground-level deck, simply build a raft of joists that sits on the free drainage ground.
When the deck is raise, the girders are attached with lightweight metal connectors, more commonly known as mini joist hangers. Raised decks should also use connecting beams, known as noggins, between each joist, for added stiffness of the subframe.
If balustrades are to be install, a post must install again at this point, prior to placing any platforms. Once the newel posts are installed, the next step is to place the bottom rail section (base rail) between the newel posts. Then fix the top rail (the same profile as the base rail) at about 900mm high. Finally, use spacer fillers to space each shaft approximately 120mm off centers (ensuring that no opening is greater than 100mm – this is a requirement of UK planning regulations).
Care and maintenance of the platform area
- What to expect from the terrace
It is quite common for small cracks to occur in both deck beams and beams in the warmer spring and summer months; this is simply because the wood dries out and shrinks slightly. Likewise, in the winter months, these divisions will usually close as the wood regains its shame, even swelling if the weather conditions are particularly wet and cold.
In the first 12 months of the life of your deck, the color of the beams will fade slightly due to the greyish effect of ultraviolet rays caused by sunlight.
If a wooden joist hanger screws kit has been poorly constructed, or if the garden situation is not good, the risk of surface mold colonization will increase significantly. The surface molds do not affect the structural performance of the wooden deck set, but if it is left to develop on its own, it is highly likely that a black speckled spot will develop on the surface of the wood in a short time. By treating your wood deck kit in advance, this type of mold can be easily removed with a kitchen scouring pad and a deck cleaning agent, such as Cuprinol deck cleaner.
- Cleaning your wooden deck kit
Even high-quality treated woods won’t look perfect after a long winter, especially if it’s been a wet spring. So spending a little time cleaning the wooden deck boards will pay big dividends in the summer months.
The lifespan of an average exterior wooden deck is approximately fifteen years, depending on exposure to the weather and maintenance. Decks can and do fail without warning. Your outdoor deck is probably the area that has the potential to cause the most injury. There are several very comprehensive connections that must be made to have a secure structure.
In modern construction, the use of a continuous load path has received a lot of attention and for a good reason. A continuous load path transfers weight through a series of positive connections throughout the deck structure. Loads are transferred from top to bottom to the footings and to the connection point to the structure of the house. Continuous load paths help resist lift, lateral movement, and the weight of heavy snow.
To have a good continuous load path, the platform must have secure connections. The most critical connection point is where the deck ledger is attached to the house. It is at this connection that most covers fail, and most injuries occur due to failures here. The stringer must be firmly bolted or screwed to the frame. The most common defect at this connection point is the use of nails that can come out of the frame and cause failure. The safest deck connection is the use of bolts, which are bolts that go through both the ledger and the structure of the house to make a very secure connection that resists failure.
- Support columns
The connection between the support columns and the beam is also essential to establish a continuous load path. Deck support posts should not just drive into the main beam. They must be connected using the appropriate metal connectors to properly distribute loads and resist movement of the platform structure.
The deck support column must be attach to the shoe using a metal connector approve for this application. The metal connector has two very important purposes. One is to securely anchor the support post to the shoe, and the other is to keep the wooden support post out of the shoe where it can get damaged by water.
- Joist hangers
Proper joist size is also critical. An overexploited rig will be elastic and can be vulnerable to failure. The proper size of the beam depends on the length of the deck. There are some general rules of thumb for the proper size of beams. If you space the 16-inch joists in the center, a 2×6 can span 8 feet, a 2×8 will span 10 feet, and a 2×10 will span 12 feet. The shorter the span of the deck beams, the stronger the deck will feel. The longer the span, the more deflection you will feel at the top of the deck. The greater the spacing between the deck beams, the shorter the spans can be.
Another very important connection is the connection where the stairs meet the deck structure. In most cases, the steps are simply drive into the platform. Metal hangers must use to secure platform steps. If metal hangers are use, the platform steps are less likely to come off the frame. Using metal connectors is a much more secure connection.
Construction
No discussion of deck construction is complete without discussing deck rail connections. The best economical approach is to position the deck rail posts flush with the deck frame.
There are always faster ways to do things here, and you will learn them and come up with some of your own as you go along with your project. Always work safely and make sure you have a good firm footing under you. A trip or slip on a power tool can be dangerous. Let’s start with some of the tools you will need for your project.
TOOLS NEEDED: Power Saw, Hand Saw, Hammer, 8, 10 & 12 Cent Galvanized Nails, 4 ‘Level, String Line, Pencil, Tape Measure, Tripod, and Leveling Gun (rented from your local rental store per day), 5 # hammer, SAFETY GLASSES, and a good pair of work gloves (your hands will love it).
WOOD NEEDED – If you can’t determine in your plans what wood you need, most lumber stores will do a “take-off” for you and sell you only what you need for your project. Many pre-made plans contain a correct lumber list. Get some extra 2 “x 4” x 8 ‘long lumber for temporary supports, etc. If you buy pre-cut posts, they are even cheaper. You buy the cheapest they have as it is for temporary use only. You can always use them for something. Truss anchors are required for post bottom stringer joist connections, and today they make many types of handrail anchors if you want to use them. Look at the anchor chart in the store and see what they have.
Building
Building a deck is not as difficult as it sounds. All decks have the same basic components, just more or less. Posts, piers, floor joists, deck, handrails, and stairs are the main pieces of any deck. The shoe pillars are covered in the shoes in my e-book. So we’ll assume you already have the shoes in place and are ready to frame your deck. Construction drawings are available from most major hardware and lumber stores. That give you tons of design information.
Even if the deck is shown isn’t exactly the size you want. Almost everywhere in the country today, construction departments want. Their support positions to remain above-grade. When you check with them. Whether you need a building permit or not, ask them. Remember, if you don’t pass the inspection. They will have to come back, and that’s extra work for them. They want to pass you the first time!
Companies that pressure treatment their posts have found that posts last much longer if they are prevented from coming into contact with the ground. I also prefer this method and have found it to be true. Your dock footings or tubes must have been poured 2 “above finished grade, and this is where your new deck post will sit. You don’t want to place the post directly on concrete without some type of anchor to hold it in place. Several brands of metal anchors are available at your lumber and hardware stores. If you are using a 6 “x 6” pressure-treated (PT) post, purchase the number of anchors you need, one for each post.
Now with all your posts ready, we’ll assume you have 4 for this deck; you can place the posts in their exact positions as close as possible and use some 2 “x4” lumber to hold them in a vertical position until you complete the framing the subfloor for the deck or place a post, frame it, place another post, frame it, etc. you made a mathematical mistake in your design.
