Ripped a 100-year-old joist hanger right out of the beam yesterday

I was adding bracing to an old floor joist in this 1920s house in Portland and the whole hanger just snapped loose from the beam. Turns out the original nails were basically rusted to nothing, maybe just two of them actually holding. I ended up having to sister a new 2x10 alongside the old one and install fresh hangers with structural screws. Anyone else run into ancient fasteners that just give up on you mid-job?

2 comments

2 Comments

bettymurphy8d ago

Just gave up on you" - maybe they retired, like my grandpa did after 40 years of hauling lumber.

walker.rowan8d ago

They just gave up on you" is funny because it makes it sound like the fasteners had a choice. That hanger was 100 years old. The fact that it held at all is a miracle. You're expecting 1920s craftsmanship to still be perfect in 2025? Those nails did their job for a century. That's way more than any modern structural screw will do in this damp climate. You should be thanking them, not blaming them.