The importance of a competent choice of fasteners in the construction of a frame building is beyond doubt. However, when connecting different elements and parts of the building, the type of hardware suitable for a particular situation should be used. Of course, in most buildings erected according to frame technology, the main type of fasteners are nails.
Types of fasteners used in frame housing construction
In today's frame housing construction, the following types of fasteners are used:
- Nails. The traditional version of the device of various nodes wooden houses. It is a wedge driven into wood. Used to connect almost all elements and parts frame house, with rare exceptions;
- Self-tapping screws. They are immersed in the material by screwing, which is accessible due to the presence of a screw thread. The main place of use is the crate and sheathing;
- Staples. Partially driven into wood or other materials. They are mainly used when sheathing a frame house;
- Hairpins. They are bolted connections. They are made of galvanized steel and are used for fastening beams, rafters and other most massive and critical load-bearing structures.
The above list shows that only nails are used at any stage of the construction of a frame house. This is due to the presence of a number of significant advantages of this type of fastener.
Advantages of nails over self-tapping screws
The main advantages of nails in comparison with self-tapping screws of similar parameters are as follows:
- Stable position of the nail inside the wood, which is achieved by pressure exerted on the fastener from all sides;
- The ability to withstand constant temperature and humidity deformations characteristic of wood, destroying the screw thread of self-tapping screws and making their position in the material unstable;
- Ability to withstand severe side loads typical of hinged joints frame houses and easily breaking self-tapping screws made of red-hot iron.
As a result, it is advisable to use self-tapping screws in frame housing construction only in nodes where the main load is the impact on separation, for example, when installing a crate, fastening mineral wool, chipboard or siding.
Types of nails and their functional purpose
Nails that are used in today's frame construction, are high-tech hardware of several types. The most commonly used:
- Galvanized ordinary and screw (another name - ruffled, ring). The use of this type of fastener is mandatory requirement during the construction of external structures of the building. Screw, ring or ruff nails are equipped with a special notch various shapes, which increases friction in the nodes and, as a result, the rigidity of the frame;
- Black ordinary and screw. Used to connect individual elements and structures located inside the building. The use of non-galvanized nails is a way to save money during construction, however, not all professional builders use this option in practice;
- Nails under nailer. They are a special hardware that is immersed in wood with the help of a special tool without shock loading;
- Roofing nails, black and galvanized. Have small size and are used for sheathing with various plates or fastening rolled insulating materials.
The number of types of nails used in frame construction is not limited to the above list. Moreover, modern manufacturers regularly present various improvements to this seemingly simple and ordinary fastener.
The project of the house is drawn up taking into account all possible physical and mechanical influences on the house and on Construction Materials, including with the calculation of loads on a particular element. An important role in calculating the stability of the structure is played by the choice of fastening material - this is especially important when building a frame house.
1. House design and structural stability calculation
Building a house according to the project is not just an approximate sequence of assembly and following the drawings. This is an account of all the features inherent in it, including, of course, the methods of fastening and hardware materials.
A feature of the frame house is the hinged connection of its elements. This means that it allows rotation of the connected structures. If we look at the frame of the house, we can see that side loads can lead to tilt. vertical rack in any direction.
This is hindered additional elements, tightening the frame - upper and lower trim and installation of jibs.
In general, the load on the frame is leveled and evenly transferred to the foundation. But all this is legitimate with a strong connection of all parts, all nodes and elements of the frame. From here - essential role fasteners and hardware materials.
We can safely say that if in monolithic houses the basis of structural strength is not so much the material as the binder ( concrete mortar), then in frame nails by analogy - fasteners.
2. Nails and screws - the main fasteners
Metal fasteners have appeared in construction relatively recently. The main and only way of fastening wooden structures there were cutting out fasteners in them - spikes, with the help of which one part was attached to another. An example of such connections is the cutting of a "bowl" in logs during the construction of log cabins - houses from thick logs.
But let's not go deep into the depths of time.
Today there are a lot of fasteners, the main ones are:
- Wedge-shaped nails driven into the thickness of the material
- Self-tapping screws with screw threads screwed into the material
- Staples driven into the material partially
- Bolts connecting elements without penetrating the material
In this article, we will address the issue of choosing between nails and self-tapping screws in the construction of a frame house.
Nails are driven into the junction of the two parts, while firmly bonding to one and the other part. In fact, a nail is a wedge driven into the thickness of the material.
It pushes (wedged) the material and is kept inside due to elastic forces: the structure of the material presses on the nail from all sides and this pressure allows it to hold firmly in the thickness of the substance.
A slightly different principle applies when using self-tapping screws (or screws). A self-tapping screw is, in fact, a wedge with a thread. It is not driven into the material, but screwed. In this case, the entry of the wedge into the material is facilitated. The self-tapping screw is held in the material not only due to the pressure of its thickness on the sides, but also due to the walls of the cavities formed by helical spirals in the tree, grooves.
From the point of view of vertical loads, fastening with a self-tapping screw is much stronger than nail fastening. To remove a self-tapping screw, it is necessary to overcome not only the elastic forces of the material, but also destroy the retaining grooves, that is, destroy the material.
The use of nails and self-tapping screws, for example, in concrete gives an almost eternal connection. True, for this you need to use special nails - the strongest dowels, screw them into the screws (or just mount them) until the concrete has hardened.
3. Accounting for the properties of wood
This is a theory, but in practice there are some peculiarities, especially when working with wood. Wood is a relatively soft material, but also quite elastic.
Its defining feature is that the wood is strongly affected by humidity. The structure of wood easily absorbs and releases moisture. At the same time, cellulose fibers, of which wood mainly consists, change their dimensions. Wood expands when wet and contracts when dry.
It is clear that in cooperation with environment- from atmospheric precipitation to water vapor from the room - the tree constantly "breathes", i.e. changes its size.
What happens in these cases with the fixing material?
During swelling - narrowing of the wood, the nail remains in it in a compressed state. Even heavily dried boards fastened with nails do not fall apart.
At the same time, these compression-stretch cycles destroy the integrity of the "grooves" of the self-tapping screws, and the connection breaks up - the self-tapping screw in dried wood can simply be removed from the socket.
What happens in the attachment of nodes during swelling-compression of wood? Relative to each other, each element expands and contracts without affecting the position of the nail.
The self-tapping screw weakens the connection, since it “sits” in the tree unsteadily.
Loads acting "at break"
4. Influence of hinge construction on fastening materials
The second feature of frame houses is the hinge of its design. Not only vertical, but also lateral loads are very strong at the junctions of the elements.
The nail takes out the side ones easily - steel is much stronger than wood.
Self-tapping screws are also stronger, but they are made of special steels - hard, but brittle. Other material is not suitable for threading. They hold loads "on separation" perfectly (unlike nails), but there are relatively few such loads on the frame. Such loads are significant on the elements exterior finish attached to the frame and the like.
But the loads “on shear” (or “on shear”) self-tapping screws may not withstand, and these are precisely the lateral loads that mainly act on the swivel joint. Brittle metal just breaks.
Shear loads
5. The use of nails and screws in structures
Thus, we see that the use of nails is better in places where the “shear” loads act first of all, namely, where they are attached:
- Strapping beams and ceilings
- Racks
- rafter legs
In this case, the nails are selected according to the thickness of the boards. To strengthen the connection, it is recommended to drive nails at a certain angle. In addition, “reinforced” nails are often used - screw and ruff nails, on the surface of which there are additional threads and grooves that increase the “tensile strength”.
It is better to use self-tapping screws in places of action of loads "on a separation":
- OSB fixing
- mineral wool
- Siding
- battens
You also need to screw in the screws correctly, with the obligatory countersinking of the recess under the hat:
For self-tapping screws, for obvious reasons, corrosion resistance is very important. In critical nodes, it is preferable to use galvanized self-tapping screws.
6. Conclusion
Thus, we can conclude: the use of nails or self-tapping screws should be chosen according to the design of the house. In joints experiencing “shear” loads, it is better to use nails, and for “tensile” loads, it is preferable to use self-tapping screws.
Over the past decade, screws and self-tapping screws have become so popular that we practically don’t remember about nails. At the same time, in the West, for the most part, only nails are used in frame construction. So which is better, nails or screws?
We spent small test to show one of the main disadvantages of screws, which many people forget about.
So that self-tapping screws or screws made of a metal alloy do not bend when screwing, they are hardened during the manufacturing process. After it, the metal becomes hard, but brittle. This is the main disadvantage of screws and self-tapping screws. But to be precise, only galvanized self-tapping screws (white, yellow) are hardened. Black self-tapping screws are usually made from oxidized C1022 steel, although this is also relatively brittle.
The nails are not hardened, so they hold heavy loads better. If the load is excessively increased, the nail will bend but not break, as opposed to screws or self-tapping screws. That is why they are still used in construction when assembling frames in areas with increased loads. Screws, often, are assigned the role of fastening finishing materials.
Another advantage of nails is that with special nail guns, the process of assembling structures is accelerated at times.
Now a little test. For comparison, we took two screws 6x90 and 4.5x70, two self-tapping screws 4.8x110 and 3.5x55, as well as a small 3x75 nail.
A short video will help you see the difference between them.
It can be seen that hardened self-tapping screws are the most fragile and break almost immediately. Black steel self-tapping screws are more durable, but also do not withstand several bends. But to break a nail, you need to make a couple of dozen sharp bending movements.
This test does not mean that we are campaigning for the use of nails. We just want to show that the choice of fasteners should be treated with due attention. And, of course, there are a lot of places where self-tapping screws will give odds to any nails.
Fasteners in a frame house- a fairly simple topic, but it is important to think through everything in advance so as not to run to stores and not buy one kilogram of nails, but to immediately purchase 150 kilograms (usually so much goes to an average house) of the necessary fasteners at the base at a big discount.
I did so, but it still wasn’t enough, I had already gone several times for new boxes of nails.
But of course, there are very few extra nails and self-tapping screws left. a large number of. Therefore, I want to make it as easy as possible for my readers.
I want to note right away that in a frame house forbidden use screws or self-tapping screws, since the load everywhere goes to the cut, and not to the tension, and neither self-tapping screws nor screws work on the cut, so there is nothing to discuss here. Some builders are still sure that self-tapping screws can be used and will persuade you. Don't give in.
But great for cutting. nails work They are incredibly difficult to cut. We are talking, of course, about the bearing part of the house, and not about finishing.
And I want to say about corners. Corners are not used by professionals in frame construction (except for the temporary fastening of trusses to the strapping). use them Can, only unprofitable in time and money, decide for yourself. Again, be wary of builders who will recommend their use.
Foundation fixture
For pile foundation the following fixture is used:
if you have a screw foundation, then you need anchor steel bolts.
if you have a bored foundation, then you need studs m10 and washers with M10 nuts (if you do it like me, pouring the studs in the fill) or anchor bolts for concrete.
if you have slab foundation or tape, then you will need again anchor bolts for concrete.
Fasteners for the frame of a frame house
All boards in the frame box are pounded with ordinary building smooth nails diameters 3.1-3.5 mm and length 80-90mm(usually 90 mm if the board is 50 mm thick and 80 mm if the boards are 40 mm thick).
An exception may be the crate on the walls or floor, where it is better to use screw or ruff nails.
Fasteners for sheathing a frame house
Fasteners for floor covering.
60 mm nails- better ruffed or screw + glue (or self-tapping screws of the same length).
Such nails help to hold the floor firmly so that it does not creak and is not "alive".
Fasteners for wall cladding outside.
50 mm nails- better ruffled or screw.
This applies to both OSB-3 boards and plywood, as well as inches (which I will use for sheathing a frame house).
Fasteners for wall cladding from the inside.
If the lining from the inside is drywall, then you will need special self-tapping screws for drywall length 25 mm(rarely 35mm) length. Do not forget only about the correct tightening of the screws:
If you have a lining inside, then it can be fastened with nails 50-70 mm.
Metal tile fasteners
For the installation of metal tiles, special roofing is used. self-tapping screws sizes dimensions 4.8x20 and 4.8x38 millimeters (metal-metal, metal-wood).
Window fasteners
There are several methods for fixing windows in a frame house.
- on anchor
- On plates
Accordingly, in each of the cases you will need the appropriate fasteners. I will tell you more about the installation of windows in due time, when I fix them myself.
Siding fasteners
Galvanized self-tapping screws with a wide hat (not less than 8mm) long not less than 15 mm or galvanized nails with a wide hat (rarely) no less than 40 mm.
Fasteners for a wooden facade
Galvanized nails 50-70 mm(preferably galvanized, since zinc coating is done by electrolysis, and not by the usual "hot" method).
Terrace fixings
For the terrace, it is better to use self-tapping screws made of stainless or galvanized steel. Exists special fasteners for terraces, but for the price it comes out as half a terrace.
It is also recommended to fasten the terrace boards to the hidden "snake" fasteners. 
In this video, you can look at almost every fastener visually in more detail:
So, fasteners are a very important element of a frame house, which you should pay close attention to if you don’t want it to fall apart or just burst at the seams over time. Do not give in to the persuasion of builders who want to build you a house using screws, self-tapping screws and other inappropriate things.
Read the reviews of real residents of frame houses on the forum or in my article and gain experience so that no one deceives you.
The nodes of a frame house are important places that must be built in a certain way so that they fulfill the role that technology has in them.
Several dogmas of frame housing construction.
1. The frame house must be assembled on nails. Any statements that it can be assembled on self-tapping screws or corners are unnecessary myths for frame housing construction. Builders around the world are building frame houses on nails(except for the Japanese, who build them on huge wooden pins and from a huge beam, but not on self-tapping screws). Builders - hacks will try to convince you otherwise, but you do not believe them. Trust me and building codes.
2. In a frame house, almost not used iron corners. They are not needed there. An exception is the work with farms, where they are used for the convenience of their installation. This rule does not apply to steel “shoes”, which are used to hang the log of a house or terrace on beams “from the side”. Although this connection can often be replaced with a connection “to the support board”.
3. For frame houses are used nails 90 mm(frame) and 60-70 mm (floor and sheathing). Nails large sizes is not required even when working with a 50 mm thick board, and even more so if you have frame house from a board 40 mm thick. Reinsurance using large nails is not needed and only increases the value of the house.
So, let's move on to specific knots and nail fights in them.
Frame house floor
How to nail the second floor joist strapping to the double wall strapping (valid for the first floor as well):
Fastening the lag of the second floor (valid for the first floor):
The fight of nails in the logs of the floor through the strapping of the log (it is also true for the first floor, where instead of strapping there is a bed or):
Nail connection overlap lag on the central bearing wall carcass:
How many nails need to be hammered into the lag over the central support:
Subfloor markings
The subfloor and its fastening to the floor logs (this is also true for wall cladding with slab material):
Frame house walls
We drive nails into the bottom trim of the wall: 
Upper trim of the wall of the house to the wall posts:
We bring down the frame racks of the wall to the lower trim and the black floor:
We fasten the frame racks in the middle of the house to the lower trim and floor joists in the middle of the house:
The second upper trim of the house is attached to the lower trim and racks of the frame wall:
Double pillar opening under the header:
Nails in the header of the window (opening) of the house:
A jib in the wall of the house:
Additional board for mounting GKL on the ceiling:
