3
Had a whole ceiling section pop loose on me yesterday...
Was finishing up a job at a house near Albany, just taping and bedding a vaulted ceiling. About an hour in I heard this cracking sound and looked up to see a 4-foot piece of board sagging down. Turns out the guys who hung it used nails instead of screws and they let go from the joists. Had to cut out the whole section and start over, cost me an extra 4 hours on a job I bid for 8. Anybody else run into this with new construction crews taking shortcuts?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
maxpalmer7d agoProlific Poster
Nails vs screws isn't really a shortcut, it's what they teach for ceiling joists.
4
andrew_wood727d ago
Nailed it, Max. I've pulled apart too many ceilings that were just screwed in. The shear strength is way different. Screws snap clean under stress, nails just bend and hold. For joists, you want that flex from the nails. Code even says 16d nails minimum in most places I've worked. Screws are fine for drywall or blocking but not for anything structural. Seen too many callbacks from guys using the wrong fasteners on joists.
2