A scrap piece of lumber:Cut a piece of wood from your pressure-treated joist lumber to use as a guide when placing your joist hangers. Make sure the scrap wood is in the same dimensions as your joists. A Joist Span calculator commonly identifies the maximum span and cantilever for dimensional lumber joists based on wood type, joist size, and spacing between joists. All you have to do is input the information, press calculate, and the maximum span is identified.

A pencil or piece of white chalk:You need a lumber pencil or piece of white chalk to mark your joint spacing on your ledger board before installation.Wood treatment or joist tape:Be sure to apply wood treatment or joist tape to every cut end of lumber to prevent moisture damage and warping.

If you'd rather fasten down your risers, you can first lay a concrete foundation and then fix them in place with ground anchors. The information and advice in this article is provided in good faith and is designed to give general information and guidance. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. If in doubt we strongly recommend you seek professional assistance. Cedar has a natural wood preservative that protects from rot and insects. However, cedar will gray with age and requires cleaning and sealing or staining regularly. It provides a warm wood glow that many appreciate. It too comes in 2-by and 5/4 dimensions. C24 Timber: C24 timber is the superior cousin of C16. This grade is also kiln dried and used in construction products and is especially suited for outdoor uses. It is more superior in terms of its properties such as strength, resilience and appearance with very few defects if any. C24 timber costs slightly more than C16. Some equations and algorithms will calculate the span and spacing for joists and numerous joist span tables for reference too.

Maximum cantilever length of joists using Grade SG8 (Wet) with a 2KPa floor load (for decks only) from table 7.2 from NZS 3604

A bubble level:If you’re working alone, a bubble level will help you measure straight lines when installing joist hangers. Use your chalk line reel to mark a straight line from each end joist — also called rim joists — tosee whether you need to further trim any joists to size. Remember, it is critical that the joists be the exact same length. If your joists require further trimming, use your circular saw, and remember to re-treat or tape the newly cut ends. The 2018 IRC is a good place to start as is your local Code which may adjust values or loads for regional conditions. Joist Spans for #2-Grade Dimensional Lumber Now that all joists are attached to their hangers, they should be self-supporting with the help of your support beams. To close the frame, you will install one final rim joist along the open-ended edge of the joists: