One thing that a lot of people don't realize is that attic stairs get installed incorrectly quite frequently. One of the things home inspectors look for is how the ladder is fastened to the framing. A lot of times they get screwed into the framing. You may ask: What's wrong with that? Screws hold things together, right? While screws are easier to install then nails on these units, it's wrong. The shear strength of a nail is stronger then that of a screw. The manufacturers even put tags on these units that say to place nail through holes in brackets. These labels are usually found near where the ladder meets the framing. When we come across this, we recommend adding 16D nails to the unit for better support as opposed to taking the whole thing down.
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