# how to remove joist hangers



## Tonglebeak (Dec 28, 2009)

I'm in the process of sistering, however two of the joists are ones I made repairs ot a couple months ago (replaced header+installed joist hangers).

I guess I did a really good job, because I can't get the damn hanger off. The nails are flush with the hanger, and the nails that penetrate the joist itself is flush against the hole, and I can't get a claw to this either.

Does anyone know the best way to remove a joist hanger, without damaging the header and the joist? Thanks.


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

sawzall


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## Just Bill (Dec 21, 2008)

Wonderbar/hammer, with a piece of shim to protect the wood.


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## epson (Jul 28, 2010)

Well first you have to support the joist before you begin, then you can pull out the joist hanger. This is done not by tugging on the metal, but by pulling the nails out one at a time, until the end of the joist comes free from the box frame that supports it. Pulling large framing nails out of an attached joist is not a simple task, so you have to be patient and pull each nail, a little bit at a time. 

First get yourself a flat metal pry bar slide the curved end behind the nail and slowly pull the head of the nail towards you until the whole nail comes free. Repeat this process with each nail until the joist hanger comes free with no effort. 

That’s the long and short of it my friend…


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


Gary


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## rtoni (Jul 18, 2007)

I did a couple of these in my crawl space - large hangers with 1-1/2" Simpson hanger nails - luckily only a couple of them to remove. Figured I'd write off the hanger and just get some leverage any way I could. In that case getting the bar under the metal and even close to a nail was enough to get 1 or 2 good tugs on the bar to pop the head just a tiny little bit (enough to tap another bar under it and pull it). Never thought I could mangle a joist hanger that badly (would have been a good item to send to one of those "can you guess what this is" contests) but I didn't care. Got them both out with surprisingly very little damage to the wood. Probably lucky - and not a fun job.


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