Fastening Deck ledger to House
starboardtacker
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
No doubt this discussion has come up before- I’m looking for a better way to fasten my deck ledger board to the box beam. My current technique is to make p.t. 2×4 stand-off blocks with sloped tops, and lag screw the ledger through the blocks, through a skirt board, into the box beam. Rob Thallon’s Graphic Guide to Frame Construction decribes using 3/4″ spacers filled with silicon caulk. Sounds good, but where the heck can I find those? I know some people skip the 2×4 spacer blocks and use several washers. This doesn’t seem to provide enough separation. Any suggestions? This is my house, so I want to do it right the first time.
Replies
You probably should strip off the siding and bolt directly against the rim joist, then flash it correctly. With most exterior finishes this is the best. Your stand-off method puts more stress on the fasteners. If you have your ledger tight against the rim joist it's much stronger. If it's flashed properly you won't have to worry about spacers.
On this topic....how do you best attach the ledger to concrete?
Some type of heavy duty expansion or wedge anchor would fit the bill.
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/fastenmsc/conan.html
You could use epoxy and threaded bolts also. Depending on the conditions, it might be easier to make a free standing deck.
Jon Blakemore
Edited 9/24/2002 8:01:59 PM ET by Jon Blakemore
Here's a link to an explanation of how a ledger board should be installed. They use galvanized washers in their example but nylon washers are more common now. You can also buy ledger board standoffs at most of the big box home improvement stores or your local lumber yard. Your ledger board should not be carrying any of the deck weight, that is the job of the girders/beams.
http://cjonline.com/stories/051200/spr_attachdeck.shtml
Edited 9/25/2002 11:04:26 AM ET by no one
no one,
"Your ledger board should not be carrying any of the deck weight, that is the job of the girders/beams."
A ledger board has no point except to transfer loads from the deck to the house. If one used beams for both load points (at house and at edge of deck) then no ledger should be used.
I take issue with your link. The author states that they mount the ledger on top of the siding. This may work fine with certain types of siding, but most will not work. Any siding that has a flat back and is in full contact with the house along it's width (carsiding, for instance) will take to being bolted through. Lap siding, shingles, shakes, vinyl, aluminum, fiber cement, and many others have a void between the back of the siding and the sheathing. Bolting the ledger to the face of this type of siding will not give a solid connection. The siding must be cut, the ledger installed, and everything flashed properly. Any other type of ledger connection will be insufficient.Jon Blakemore
That same link says to run the flashing under the ledger, not over it like the link in the other deck thread says. It seems to me that over would keep the ledger drier, under would create a space to hold water against the back of the ledger. Any other opinions on this?
-- J.S.
ugh
Sheesh...
mounting ledger board
Mounting a ledger board to a home with siding can be as simple as using Siding Saver mountig brackets. They are fastened to the siding using 1/4" X 4" stainless lag screws every 32". If you make the mounting holes a little larger and fill with silicone, you will have a mounting point that protects from water damage and allows the siding to expand and contract with weather changes. Use the same procedure to mont the ledger board against the brackets, using the size of lag bolts and spacing required by the building codes of your area. This method eliminates the need to cut the siding, install J trim, and flash the ledger board. It also leaves a space between the ledger board and siding. For info on the brackets search Siding Saver mounting brackets on Google or Yahoo.
You're spamming an 8-year-old thread. (And I wouldn't trust those mounts as far as I could throw them.)
Spam
I had no idea that if I joined and posted on this site it would be regarded as spam. It is clear you know nothing about this bracket, by your comments. The cottage pictured in this post went without a deck for three years, because of the damage to the rim joist caused by water getting behind the ledger board of the first deck. The damage was discovered during a residing job. Free standing decks do not pass building codes in our area, so this offered a solution to a problem I did not want to experience again. The deck has been up for two years and there is no damage to siding or cottage.
Ledger attachment
IMO, a ledger board needs to be attached to the rim with lags or thru bolts. A pair 3 X 3 X 3/16 galvinized bearing plates make great spacers. The ledger should be protected by a flashing, with the siding overlapping the flashing. Never siding between the ledger and rim board.