Pro tip: How to easily install blocking

[GriziDaWiz]

I love it whenever I get any kind of construction or welding short cause I can open up the comments and immediately see people saying it’s wrong.

[gusuave]

This is what happens when you don't pay attention in carpentry school.

[robbiesapp]

How to rot out your customers deck 5 times faster so you can build it again in 2 years!

[Glum]

Please, if you build this, sister 2” x 4” blocks every 2-3 feet onto the inside of the two joists supporting the flat one.. If you don’t offer bottom support to the flat board, it will just be supported from the shear support those screws provide.

So when he’s finished decking, it’s going to be fine…. For a few years. Then the squeaking will start. And worsen.
Just a tip.

[lelenbates]

Blocking stops racking and stiffens the deck by sharing point load across multiple joists. Blocks connect the top and the bottom of the joists with their neighboring joists and side loads are shared across the whole deck. A board on top still allows the joist to twist and fully deflect.

[stephenjas]

Home owner is probably reading all of these comments lol

[dialup]

They spent so long thinking about how they could, they forgot to think if they should.

[RoofingFacts]

Well, the nicest thing I can say is at least these guys are good job security.

[dazzhan]

Epoxy coated deck screws are for holding wood down, not for holding it up. They have less shear strength than nails and are prone to snap, whereas nails will bend. Even so, decking planks need to be supported on framing members, not just suspended by screws or nails.

[mr.creativethemastermind]

Those boards should be resting on cross members. Not floating in between joists.

[CodedOne]

That's whole boards, that isn't blocking, it's a water trap. Lmao

[dadachingonodell]

With nowhere for water to go, that area will certainly rot faster.

[lofttm]

I wish I had as much faith in life as those guys have on the shear strength of 3 inch decking screws

[AkJohnny]

So many keyboard carpenters, I love it. This is not traditional blocking you guys, they are likely picture framing the deck boards so that there are no butt joints and they need that board to support their layout. It will indeed hold water UNLESS you put vycor over it, which they very well may have done considering they vycored their beam.

[teamsilva]

1) not blocking, 2) shoutout to accelerating the rotting of your deck joists

[deanmcintyre]

I don't know exactly why this is wrong but I've worked for enough contractors to know something here is sketchy

[thetruth]

First thing you're resting the entire weight of the deck on screws you should have set the weight on the 4 * 4 post. second you could have done a free-floating front view where you don't see any post going to the ground, by building a single support beam. Slap two 2*12 with a half inch sheet of plywood in Middle making it 3 inches thick sandwich together running the down the middle of the deck. So if your deck is 12 ft wide you set the beam around 8ft Leaving four feet floating In the front Looks very clean. And put blocking in between extremely important braceing. There's more stuff to it if you're interested just ask me I'll give you better detail like when you build the beam depending on the length let's say 24 ft you do 212 you put your plywood in the middle and your other two by 12 that goes on top you put that in the middle of each one 6 ft this way 6 ft that way you put glue in between it strengthens the joint by putting a solid one in the middle and use screws 3 inch deck screws always stronger than nails

[chongmoua]

I love how I discover these new methods after I’m done with my project. Kind of like finding something you don’t need, but when you need it, it’s vanished into thin air.

[rdrs]

Customer: what are all those holes?
Deckers: "umm those are speed holes."

[ikon]

I tell you what though visually it looks pretty neat.
I like how when you get a nice flush fit looks like a perfect block.
But everyone in the comments is right, the traditional American way is better because it releases water.