Roof Nails On Deck Joists

This can cause the joist to rot from the inside out.

Roof nails on deck joists.

For standard joists you will use the 1 1 2 inch galvanized hanger nails to attach the joists using standard joist hangers. This part of your deck construction is labor intensive. Hang the joist with a bent over nail. Roofing nails just can t handle the shear stress.

Roofing nails are not made to withstand the structural forces that are required for joist hanger connectors. Screwing deck boards also creates large holes for water to soak into and rot much faster. This type of hanger requires fewer but longer nails for the side flanges. Start driving a nail near the top end of the joist then bend it over.

Deck joist beam sizing tables a quick rule of thumb for sizing joists. Remove the guide and drive nails to attach the hanger. It can even cause damaging expansion and contraction if water penetrates these holes and freezes. Treat all sides of the reinforcing joist with a clear sealer and let it dry.

I believe simpson strong tie calls for 3 1 2 16d hot dipped galvanized nails to be double shear nailed through their joist hangers filling every hole. For thicker decking use a 16d 3 1 2 nail. For double hangers use 8d or 10d nails. The use of roofing nails as structural attachments for joist hangers is not uncommon however it should be avoided.

For double shear single hangers photo 4 fasten the hanger to the joist s with longer 8d or 10d nails. Using a 3 inch galvanized nail and nailing it flush will pull the boards tighter versus sinking through the. True the joists sit on the beam on the outside on the deck. The long nails and screws that are driven into each joist provide dozens of entrance holes to that untreated core.

Indoors or out for standard type single joist hangers use only 1 1 2 in. For 5 4 decking use a 10d 3 inch nail. Spans sizes and spacings for deck joists and deck beams are discussed in detail. Some manufacturers sell special decking nails with a head size in between the two.

The 16d nails will fasten your hanger to the wall ledger while the 10d nails will be nailed through the side flange of the hanger into the joists. What s more chances are high that the use of these nails would fail a building inspection. But they usually hang from the ledger that is bolted to the house on the inside.