 After finishing the beams and rim joists, and squaring those up, measure the rest
of the joists, cut them and set them in place.
On
a flush beam, slide them into the joist hangers. Secure them by nailing through
the holes in the joist hangers into the joists.
TIP: If they're stubborn going in, tap them with a hammer to push them down into
the hangers, which are sometimes tight.
But
if they're tight against the beam or ledger board, don't force them in because
that could actually push your posts out of plumb. Instead, cut a little off the
ends of the stubborn ones to make them fit.
Checking
for Crown
 Dimensional joists are never perfectly straight. They almost always bow or arc
slightly toward one side. That bowing is known as the crown.
TIP: Before installing your joists, check each one by sighting down the edge and
mark the side that's crowned. Then make sure that side is up when you install
the joist.
That
way the joists will all be slightly high in the center and will slowly sag back
towards level as the deck ages, rather than starting out low in the center and
sinking even further over time.
Installing
Joists over Dropped Beam
 Mark out the joist positions on the top of a dropped beam to match the layout
of the joist positions on the ledger board.
Measure,
cut and set the joists in place on top of the dropped beam.
 Toenail
through the sides of the joists down into the beams to hold them solid. You might also consider using a connector called a “hurricane tie” (we sometimes call them “joist clips”) to strengthen the connection where the joist crosses the beam.
With a
dropped beam, you can also cantilever the ends of the joists up to a couple feet
beyond the beam. That
makes the beam a little less conspicuous. Check
with local building officials to see how far they allow joists to cantilever past
a beam. |
