How to Nail in Collar Ties on a House

The design of a peaked roof applies a lot of outward force where the roof trusses meet the top plate of the house walls. Horizontal framing members are added to trusses to keep the roof from pushing off the walls. This can create a low ceiling in older homes. Adding collar ties adds additional support higher in the trusses and can either allow extra strength for the roof or allow the lower framing members to be removed to raise the ceiling height. Installing collar ties correctly ensures the roof has the greatest amount of strength.

Tape measure
Pencil
Self-locking clamp
10d nails
Hammer

Instructions

- 1
  Hold the end of a tape measure on the top of the low horizontal framing member attached to the roof trusses – generally tight to the ceiling material. Pull the tape measure up to the bottom of the beam holding the top of the roof trusses in place. Divide the measurement by two.
- 2
  Put a pencil mark on one face of each roof truss at the divided measurement.
- 3
  Hold a correctly sized collar tie against both sides of a roof truss. Align the top of the tie with one pencil line. Hold it in place, by putting a self-locking clamp over the truss and the tie. Move to the side of the truss without the self-locking clamp.
- 4
  Hold a 10d nail against the surface of the collar tie. Drive the nail one inch in the tie with a hammer. Align the top of the tie with the pencil line. Drive the nail into the truss to hold it in place. Send two additional nails through the tie to secure it to the truss. Ensure the nails are spread apart and sitting in a triangle pattern. Secure the clamped side of the truss using the same triangle shaped nailing pattern.
- 5
  Release the self-locking clamp. Install the remaining collar ties using the described method.

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