Should I use steel brackets for shed floor framing resting on sleepers?

Question

I am building a 12’x14’ shed on a gravel pad I built. I am going to order the wood to start the shed floor this week and had a few questions. First my plan is to do 2x6 pressure treated(ground rated) pine wood for the floor joist (16inches on center) spanning the 12ft dimension. The 2 x 6s will rest on one 4x4x14’ in the front, one in the middle of the span and one at the back of the shed. The floor will then consist of pressure treated plywood on top.

My concerns are as follows: Joist hangers(although used for vertical loads and my vertical load is supported by the 4x4s ) may help prevent movement of the boards if warping over time correct? The bottom of the joist hanger will cause the supporting joist 2x6s to be slightly higher than the front and back 2x6 as the bottom part of the joist hanger has some dimension to it.

Due to the issue above would I be better off using angle framing brackets on each side of the the joist to prevent sideways movement and they do not have a bottom dimension as they are only on sides.

Or do I all together forget brackets and use a toenail or a end nail (which is stronger/better in this case). Or use screws ?

Answer 1

I've built and owned several such sheds that didn't even have the benefit of lying on sleepers. They were both placed directly on washed rock beds. I didn't use steel reinforcement for either, and I haven't seen issues over the 20 years I've used the sheds (nor would I expect any).

The only time you'd see such movement is if 1) the shed is somehow subjected to regular violent side loading, or 2) the lumber is rotting away. If either are the case you have bigger issues.

Fasten the floor together with three 3" coated screws at each joint and fasten down your subfloor well with at least 2½" screws or nails. Nothing will move, especially if you run your wall sheathing down onto the rim.

Answer 2

What you do depends on how strong you need the shed to be. if you're in a hurricane zone you'll want everything tied together with straps and bolts etc. If you're in a tornado zone there's not much you can do.

For anchoring a joist to a beam below it use the twisted "joist straps". joist hangers are for butt joints. then you need to anchor the beams down so the whole shed doesn't blow away.