Why You Shouldnt Use Roof Nails On Deck Hangers

This joist hanger can be used with 2x8 and 2x10 joists.

Why you shouldnt use roof nails on deck hangers.

Roof truss spacing will vary on the structure s construction. As far as overkill probably is but you read about too many deck collapses every year. You must use joist hanger nails. When driving through the sides of the hanger use longer nails.

Joist hanger nails are extra strong to provide needed shear strength. Roofing nails are. To know what nails are supposed to be used you first need to know what joist hanger you re working with. However not many are familiar with working with specialized materials like galvanized nails with pressure treated wood.

Wrong nails if the wrong nails are used at a joist hanger it won t perform as intended. Put the tip of a roofing nail and a joist hanger nail in a vice and try to bend them with a pair of pliers. If your decking is less than 3 4 inch then a 1 1 2 inch nail will suffice. The number of nails you ll need depends on the face width of the sheathing you re using.

Screws are also unnacceptable for hangers since they do not have the shear strength of a nail. The most common joist hanger i find on decks is a lus28. There are typically 12 16 or 24 inch spans between each roof truss. That is why it is important to use roofing nails when doing a roofing job.

What s more chances are high that the use of these nails would fail a building inspection. Longer nails for the sides. Roofing nails are not made to withstand the structural forces that are required for joist hanger connectors. You ll need to use nails wherever the roof sheathing makes direct contact with each truss.

If you are putting a layer of asphalt shingles over an existing layer of asphalt shingles on to a 3 4 inch deck or a plank deck then you should be using 1 1 2 inch nails. The use of roofing nails as structural attachments for joist hangers is not uncommon however it should be avoided. Do this for a test. A deck frame compromised by the improper use of nails and screws can result in the sudden collapse of your deck structure resulting in potential injury or even death.

Now that i know which hanger i m. Many craftsmen know the basics of using a hammer wood and nails. A quick search on google or youtube for deck collapses shows just how catastrophic the results of using the wrong fasteners can be.