Using Joists Hangers to Make a Frame Job Easy

Joist hangers have two big plusses for homeowners doing their own framing: They can make the job easier, and they can make it stronger than it would be with conventional, nails-only construction techniques. However, a few tricks to using these hangers will make them even faster and neater to use.

First of all, there are three ways you can work with joist hangers: You can nail the hangers up, then set the joists into the hangers. You can nail the hangers to the joists first, then nail the hangers up with the joists already in them. You can nail the joists up normally, without any hangers, and then install the hangers.

Which technique is best? It depends. The first is the easiest, especially if you're working on your own. You nail up your hangers, set the joists into the hangers, and then nail through the hangers into the joists. You don't have to struggle trying to hold the joist up while you nail it, and you won't knock it out of position as you drive your nails. The problem with this technique is that joists are rarely the same exact width. If you put up all your hangers at the same level, the installed heights of your joist can vary by 1/4-inch or more. One way around this is to measure the width of each joist, then set each hanger to the right height to keep the tops of all the joists on the same plane. This will make the floor or deck you place over the joists level. But if you are installing joists for a ceiling, with attic or unoccupied space above, you'll be more concerned with keeping the bottoms of the joists in the same plane. In this case, you can put all the hangers at the same level.

Approach No. 2 saves you the bother of measuring joist widths. But it makes installation a bit harder, because you have to hold the joist up while you nail it. Approach No. 3 is often used by pros. They'll nail the joists in place (a quick and easy process with an automatic nail gun), then go back and set the hangers. This lets them set the joists evenly and gives them the added strength of the hangers. Installation tips: If you find yourself installing hangers overhead, make a nail-holding stick - just a scrap of wood with a tapered notch in the end, sized to hold a nail. It extends your reach and lets you start nails overhead without using a stool or step ladder. It also saves mashed thumbs and makes it easier to see what you are doing If you hold the nail in your fingers, your hand often blocks your view when you try to stick the point of the nail into the hole in the hanger.To use the holder, just slip a nail in the notch. Reach up, put the nail in its hole, tap it a time or two to start it, then pull the stick free and sock the nail home.

If you are using hangers on ceiling joists and you want a neat drywall job, it pays to chisel out the bottoms of the joists. This keeps the bottom of the hanger from lying below the level of the joist so the drywall won't bulge out.