Hot take: My uncle swore by using a 4-inch nail for every deck joist hanger, but my inspector in Denver failed me for it last month.

He said it was overkill and the hanger specs called for 1.5 inch nails, so I had to pull and replace hundreds. Anyone else get burned by 'that's how we've always done it' advice?

3 comments

3 Comments

abbyg1416d ago

Yeah, specs are there for a reason. Overbuilding can actually mess with how the hardware is supposed to flex and fail under load.

zara_kelly2716d agoMost Upvoted

Reminds me of when people over tighten bolts on car parts. They snap right off when they should have just given a little.

holly_henderson8611d ago

Totally agree with what you said about how hardware is supposed to fail, @abbyg14. I read this article about bike frames once, how they design them to crumple in a specific spot to absorb impact. If you try to reinforce that weak point with some aftermarket part, you just move the break somewhere else, and it can be way more dangerous. It's like the whole system is balanced, and messing with one part throws the whole thing off. Makes you respect the engineers who figure all that stuff out.