On Slab House Builders

maj

I just started building a house on a slab on grade. We don't normally do that around here, it's always been on basement foundations. My question is this...... What do you guys use for bottom plates. I am assuming p.t. wood, but since it is ACQ now, what are you using for nails. I use a Senco coilframer, but have not been able to find ACQ compliant nails for it locally. I am hand nailing all the bottom plates with galv. 16d, what a PITA after being used to shooting everything with a gun.

Now before anybody goes jumping all over me for sounding like an idiot or posting such a simple question, remember I am in a different location than you fellas that build on concrete slabs all the time.

joasis

I use PT on the bottom plates, and generally GRK Torx fasteners, which are ok with ACQ. Then we shoot the walls down every 6 ft with red head wedge bolts, since I hate putting in j-bolts in the slab...and before any of you get wild about not using j-bolts...remember in tornado country, the bottom plate usually remains with the floor when the house goes to Kansas...and of course, IRC isn't particular, as long as you have it down by code.

Teetorbilt

Be careful shooting nails close to the edge of a slab, or even anywhere on a slab as the pressure can cause it to fracture. You lose the bond and the slab can be compromised. I won't do it.

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Joe Carola

I'm not following you. I frame on foundations and slabs and I use ACQ for sills on top of the foundation and I use ACQ plates on top of the slabs with ACQ rated nails for both

What are you useing for sills on top of your foundations?

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Joe Carola

joasis

Redhead wedge bolts are a fancy anchor bolt with a great pull out rating. I don't power nail the walls, anywhere. GRK has a new concrete screw out we are going to use on the next few for the interior walls.

maj

My mistake......... I mean for nailing the plates to studs. I was in a hurry last night when I posted.

I have not found ACQ compliant coilnails in my area, so basically that's what I was asking for.

vtgaetano

well keep looking they make them, galv. or "coated" sinkers for the coil nailer. Used them all week.

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Joe Carola

They have to make ACQ nails because how would you nail your floor joists to the ACQ sills when they sit on top of a foundation if you use only one sill in some places?

We use double sills here so we nail the first sill down using ACQ and ACQ rated cut nails and then we nail the second plate down with doug fir using ACQ rated nails and then we nail our joists down with regular nails.

Or say you frame on on a slab and you wanted to use two plates for some reason, the first plate will be ACQ and then the second plate can be doug fir and the nails you would use to nail the doug fir down would have to be ACQ rated and then you can nail your studs into the doug fir plate with regular nails.

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Joe Carola

tayoo2364

does anyone know what framing costs per sq ft are in south texas.

InterlockPavers

Pulte homes builds most houses on slabs and they use 3 inch cut nails on interior and exterior walls. Not saying this is the best but the largest home biulder in the country does it this way. You can also use a ram set. The also use one bottom plate on interior and exterior walls which most are panelized

needthingsdone?

Here in South georgia the framers are using borate treated wood for sills, it's bug proof and rot resistant in non ground contact protected uses. You can nail it with regular nails. Of course here in hurricane country we have to cable all our exterior and some interior walls from foundation/slab to top plates with either stainless cables or go bolts/ allthread.

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Bradracer18

We used to do it all the time on the large apartment buildings. My only advice is to make sure you spend time squaring your building/walls(snapping lines).......and also, they seem to be more problematic in humps in the crete......string line the top of the walls.

maj

Holy crap....... this is an old thread.

That house is done and lived in already!

Brad..... I've been building for 26 years, my question 4 months ago was about gunable nails for the ACQ plates, not how to LPS (Level, Plumb,Square).

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Bradracer18

Maj........I understand that......I just thought I'd add that in, as I've seen it in almost every slab I've built on. The nail part....I don't really understand.....haven't you used treated wood before??? Every nail into treated should be coated(the new stuff anyways)....and I mean, its not that new. They are just coated nails.....nothing special.....


Oh, and about your plate question.....I don't know if this is the right way or not......but some of our slabs had the green board already in the crete, so all we had to do is build the wall and tip it up on the green board(and nail with coated nails). Seemed pretty easy......but I also wasn't the guy who had to go around and drill holes for those expandable bolts......or use the already provided bolts in the crete.

Peladu

OK, old post I know.
....but look how defensive both of you guys were back then..
Must have been a member screaming about, "code violations" or "spec vioalations"
or "what are you new" posts back then ....

One thing is for sure, this guy must have been good at, "jumping all over" posts and also got "all wild".


1st Post
2nd Post

Joe Carola

Maj,

What did you wind up doing? Did you find acq rated nails for the guns?

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Joe Carola

maj

Joe......

I used CCA .60 foundation grade plates. Was then able to use regular galvy coilnails. I was also able to use the regular wedge anchors to fasten to the slab. This allowed me to use readily available fasteners for the CCA plates.

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The views expressed in this post are merely opinions of named poster and in no way shall be deemed meaningful by members of the herd. By no means does anything posted by named poster mean a damn thing for anyone else partaking in this thread.

joasis

And your point is Pel? I still get a little touchy when I hear any of the old talking heads say you can't do that because we didn't do it that way and this is the way we always did it, it is good enough for us, what in the hell do you think you are doing?.....routine. I'll say it again since I don't care who does it this way or that way anymore..I don't use j-bolts anymore, they are a real pain in the ass.....wedge bolts meet and exceede code, and have other advantages, like when the walls go up, etc.

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maj

[QUOTE=Bradracer18]Maj........I understand that......I just thought I'd add that in, as I've seen it in almost every slab I've built on. The nail part....I don't really understand.....haven't you used treated wood before??? Every nail into treated should be coated(the new stuff anyways)....and I mean, its not that new. They are just coated nails.....nothing special.....

I hope you are joking Brad!!!????

Oh, and about your plate question.....I don't know if this is the right way or not......but some of our slabs had the green board already in the crete, so all we had to do is build the wall and tip it up on the green board(and nail with coated nails). Seemed pretty easy......but I also wasn't the guy who had to go around and drill holes for those expandable bolts......or use the already provided bolts in the crete.[QUOTE]

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The views expressed in this post are merely opinions of named poster and in no way shall be deemed meaningful by members of the herd. By no means does anything posted by named poster mean a damn thing for anyone else partaking in this thread.

Bradracer18

NOT joking.......as YOU know, I am new/young here......but please inform me about what I said that was incorrect.....I'd like to know the info.