Nails sufficient to hold ceiling joists?

johneym

Hi everyone,

lowered ceiling using 7x2 inch joists which have joist hangers at one end but used nails at the other. 5 nails stitched through each joist nailed to a 7x2 fastened along the wall. The span is 3 metres and there is a noggin in the middle at 1.5 metres.
It will be used for storage mostly albeit some heavy stuff, and we would be walking up there now and again.

Are the nails enough or should I buy hangers for that side too.
There are 36 joists in total.

Cheers

jack of all

Joist hangers are going to be a better, stronger job. Before the advent of hangers it would have been traditional practice to fix a batten to the wall plate/ joist ("jockey strip" )and notch the joist ends to sit over the batten. If you want to go this route I would glue and screw a 44 x 32mm or similar batten to the joist.

monseiur

Just bolt 3x3 on wall using 175 x 10mm rawl bolts, cut 3x3 notch in end of joist to fit down flush on this runner as previously suggested - a nail or two will keep joist in position. Do not under any circumstances just nail the end of the joist on to the face of a 7x2 runner on the wall - the nails will never carry the weight. But if you have already cut the joists you could screw a 3x3 on to the 7x2

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Kevin McCloud

The mind boggles as why you used joist hangers at one end but not the other, was it an experimental idea?

johneym

original plan was to dry line and stud external wall. The studs would have given extra support. In the end I decided the wall was not too crooked really and insulated slabs are sufficient.
Thanks for the helpful replies everyone