Hello Again,
About three months or so ago I posted some information about my project in my basement. I am going to finish the basement and part of the activities is to build a Home Theater.
The home theater will be achieved by taking two rooms and converting them into one room. This planned space requires that I remove a load-bearing wall conposed of 2×6 stick framing.
The flooring system overhead is comprised of Boise-Cascade BCI400 engineered I-Joists on 24″OC. The BCI400s have a 1.5″ flange (stile) and are 11-7/8″ tall. The joists in their original form are about 26’6″ long.
A couple of months ago, I framed temporary support walls on either side of the 2×6 load-bearer. These temp walls are tightly framed using 2×4 on 16″OC. I then procedded (a couple of weekends ago) to take down the load-bearing wall and all went well (i.e. nothing has fallen down, shown signs of stress, drywall cracking, etc.).
This past weekend, my neighbor and I raised three Georgia Pacific Lam LVLs into place. Since the application called for a recessed beam installation, each of the six (6) BCI400 joists were cut in the middle of their runs and a 5-3/8″ section was removed from each joist.
The beam-raising went without any problems and align themselves on the horizontal elevation with the six (6) BCI400 joists now on each side of the beam. Nailing pattern to bind each of the three (3) GP Lam LVLs were taken from their website. I also garnered the nailing specification for joist hangers, which I specially ordered from StrongTie (IUT211).
Unfortunately, the Boise-Cascade nailing specification only covered for nailing into the BCI I-Joists and not their LVLs. Similarly, the nailing specification on Georgia-Pacific’s website covers the nailing specification for binding one GP Lam LVL to another Lam LVL. Losing faith, I ventured off to StrongTie’s website for assistance.
On StrongTie’s website, the do a good diagraphical instruction on using this BC/GP-specified joist hanger, but the nailing specification in the illustration is an engineered I-Joist to a traditional beam. Additionally, the only diagram StrongTie shows for connecting an engineered I-Joist to an engineered LVL is using MIU hanger, which neither GP nor BC specifies.
I have the IUT211 hanger in hand and ready to nail them into place, but I do not know what nail I should be using (thinking 10d 1.5″) and if I should be using 3, 4, or all 5 nailing holes on either side of the hanger. I’ve sent emails and filled out ContactUs forms for all three parties and have not heard anything yet.
Suggestions?
Replies
Simpson/StrongTie N10 10d 1.5" nails for those curious.
Virtually ALL simpson hangers call for 16D commons to be used to attach them to he supporting members.
The only exceptions are hangers requiring bolts, or situations where the suporting member isn't thick enough for the long nails. Since those don't apply in this case, you should use the 16D commons. (NOT 16D sinkers)
A bartender is just a pharmacist with a limited inventory.
Boss Hog,
Thanks for the reply. Well, I would tend to agree. Unfortunately, Georgia-Pacific, Boise-Cascade, and StrongTire have not yet replied to my Thursday morning emaiings. I also called, and when prompted, left a detailed voice message stating the information being sought, the application for intended use, etc. and left multiple contact means where I could be reached 24x7.
I wonder if GP & BC have decided to NOT reply as I'm not being uniform in manufacturer products (i.e. not using I-joist & LVL from same maker), but who knows. I haven't nailed the hangers, yet, so let me see if I can catch on of the framing crews building one of the new homes in my community.
Simpson would be the one to get the info from. Neither GP or BC are going to give you hanger nailing info. You might try asking for a simpson catalog in your local lumberyard - They have the nailing requirements for each hanger in them.
Mixing brands on a job can be bad news if you have any problems down the road. I wouldn't suggest doing that if you have a choice.
Why bother checking with local framing crews? They'll just tell you to do what they've always done, which may be right or wrong.
Veni, vidi, velcro: I came, I saw, I stuck around.
Well, I had hoped that Simpson's (StrongTie's) website would have this information but the only nailing information they have for the IUT hangers is in respect to nailing into the bottom stile of the I-Joist.
Thursday, I took the opportunity and called the Customer Service number. The young lady gave me an 800# to call, which in turn redirected me to the engineering technical support group. Got the dreaded answering machine, but as requested (and mentioned earlier) left a detail message with 24x7 contact info.
I'll have another look on their website and see if I can find general hanger nailing information. Again, thanks for the replies.
Actually, they do have info on their website about hanger nailing. this one should cover your hangers:
http://strongtie.com/products/FaceMountTables/face_ijoist1.htm
Neutrons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic
Ok, that is an interesting webpage. Noting that I am using the IUT211, and not one of the derivatives, in a 1-1/2" by 11-7/8 I-Joist application, the lines I [think I] would be looking at are the 7th & 8th line specifying 10-10dx1-1/2 OR 10-10d listed under the 'Fasteners/Face' column.
What does bother me is that this chart makes no distinction between the material being nailed into for the face-nailing, or does it? Does StrongTie treat face-nailing the same for both traditional/conventional lumber as it would LVLs? Interesting, yet confusing, hehe.
The Fastener/Joist column correlates to nailing specification/requirement stated elsewhere on StrongTie's website for the IUT211 & I-Joist application (i.e. two 10d 1-1/2" long nails; StrongTie Part# N10 I think).
Haha! I got lucky this morning! I tried the 800-999-5099 contractor number again and this time I actually got a human on the line! Persistence is a wonderful thing!
Anyways, she said that the chart your provided, Boss Hog, was sufficient regardless of traditonal/engineered lumber (i.e. LVL). She said the chart is correct, and that I could use 10d common nails or use the N10 nail. She also said, though, that if I use the N10 nail, which is mainly for nailing into the joist, I would need to use 10 nails per hanger and follow th reduce loading values on that webpage.
I already bought two boxes of the N10s, but I'll return one and get a box or two of the 10d common nails for nailing the hanger to the LVLs. Now, I just need to determine the dead/live load limits.
I feel like I'm back in school!
"this chart makes no distinction between the material being nailed into for the face-nailing"
Not really. But all LVL lumber is more dense than your typical SPF/SYP/Doug fir, so it doesn't matter.
Edited 6/25/2002 1:27:52 PM ET by Boss Hog