Joseph Loferski is Professor of Sustainable Biomaterials at Virginia Tech University.
When researchers at Virginia Tech applied measured loads to deck posts to see which connections could meet code, they discovered that two of the most common post connections (4x4 pressure-treated post notched and lag-screwed to the band joist, and post through-bolted to the deck band joist) cannot stand up to code-protocol test load.
During the last several years, wood science researchers at Virginia Tech have scrutinized the structural connections commonly found in residential wood decks.
