TIL that hitting a ceiling joist with a screw isn't always bad luck

I used to sweat every time I hit a joist while hanging board, thinking I was wasting time or messing up the layout. Then I worked a job in Columbus last fall where the GC insisted we intentionally hit every joist with at least 4 screws per board for extra strength on a vaulted ceiling. After 3 months, not a single crack or sag showed up, even with the seasonal shifts. I still aim for the field most of the time, but I stopped stressing when I hear that thud into wood. Anyone else find that hitting joists more actually helps in the long run?

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2 Comments

linda3052mo ago

Four screws per board sounds like overkill to me.

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charles_price2mo ago

Wait, have you noticed that same thing shows up in all kinds of work? I feel like there's this big pattern where what we think is "wasting time" or "overkill" actually saves us headaches later. In my experience, taking an extra few seconds or using a few more screws almost always pays off. Like, I used to hate spending time cleaning my tools after every job, but then I started doing it and my saw blades last twice as long. Your mileage may vary of course, but I've seen it with drywall, with woodworking, even with just fixing stuff around my own house. The shortcuts we take to save a few minutes often cost us hours down the road.

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