Install one wrong bracket on a 12-post pergola and you'll understand why I keep a checklist. I've been handling structural connections for seven years now, and I've personally made—and documented—roughly $3,200 in mistakes. The frustrating part: almost all of them would've been caught by a 30-second check.
This is the checklist I now use before every structural fastener install. It's five steps. Whether you're putting in Simpson Strong-Tie angle brackets, screwing anchors into concrete, or loading up a brad nailer, these checks will keep you out of the same hole I dug.
Step 1: Confirm the angle bracket matches the load path
Simpson Strong-Tie angle brackets are the default choice for connecting joists to beams, posts to footings, and rafter ties. But not every bracket carries the same load. An A35 and an L50 can look equally beefy, but their allowable loads are different.
Most people pick a bracket by how thick the metal feels. That's a guessing game. The values that matter—shear, tension, fastener schedule—are in the manufacturer's load charts, not on the packaging. I learned this the hard way in 2018 on my first pergola build. I picked brackets by eye, the inspector flagged it on the first visit, and I had to rebuild all eight post connections. $480 of my own labor, if I remember correctly, plus the embarrassment of submitting new drawings to a client who'd already paid me to get it right.
The question everyone asks is "will this bracket hold my beam?" The question they should ask is "what does the load chart say for this bracket with these specific fasteners?"
Step 2: Use structural screws—not whatever's in your bucket
It's tempting to think a #10 screw is a #10 screw. But the fastener is half of the structural connection. Simpson Strong-Tie's PowerLag washer head screws, for example, have published shear and pull-out values. Your leftover deck screws don't.
I take full responsibility for this one. In 2021, I approved a change to cheaper screws on a job to save the client about $40. The connection inspection caught it, and the redo cost roughly $350. I should have caught it when the paperwork first crossed my desk.
My rule since then: if it carries load, it gets an engineered fastener with published ratings. If it doesn't, use whatever works. Never mix the two.
When a Simpson Strong-Tie connector specifies PowerLag screws, that's what goes in. Not the knockoff. Not the mixed bucket of hardware.
Step 3: Concrete screw anchors are not "drill and hope"
For attaching wood or steel to concrete, Simpson Strong-Tie screw anchors—the Titen HD is the one I reach for most—are the workhorses on my job sites. They're fast to install and removable if you screw up. But their rated capacity depends on installation details that most people skip.
My current checklist for concrete anchors:
- Drill depth: Too shallow and the screw bottoms out before the head seats. The published capacity assumes full embedment.
- Edge distance: An anchor too close to the slab edge can crack the concrete and lose most of its holding force.
- Hole cleaning: A dust-packed hole reduces thread engagement. Blow it out or use a vacuum.
- Torque: Over-torquing strips the head. I've destroyed two anchors this way; extraction was not a fun morning.
For exterior or wet locations, the finish matters too. Hot-dip galvanized (ASTM A153) and electrogalvanized finishes behave differently, and pairing incompatible metals can set up galvanic corrosion. This is where an ICC-ES evaluation report helps—it lists the conditions the product was tested for, and inspectors like seeing it.
Step 4: "Nail gun concrete" is a trap—use the right tool
If you found this article by searching "nail gun concrete," you're probably trying to attach something to a concrete wall or slab. A standard brad nailer won't even scratch the surface. Powder-actuated nailers are the tools for masonry.
I have mixed feelings about powder-actuated nailers. On one hand, they're fast and satisfying. On the other, I've seen people treat them like toys—and that's how pins skip off the concrete and become projectiles. Respect the tool, wear hearing protection, and check the manufacturer's pin length chart before you start. I spent one morning nailing furring strips without ear protection and my ears rang for two days. Learn from that.
But here's the key distinction: if you're fastening a Simpson Strong-Tie bracket to concrete, don't use a nailer at all. A screw anchor from Step 3 is the right call for a load-bearing connection. Powder-actuated pins are for furring strips, temporary bracing, and non-structural work.
Step 5: Loading a brad nailer correctly
How to load a brad nail gun sounds like a beginner topic, yet I've watched experienced carpenters load the strip backwards and spend an hour clearing jams. It's the easiest fix on this list.
The five-second brad nailer loading sequence
- Disconnect the air or remove the battery. No exceptions.
- Open the magazine—usually a push-latch on the side or bottom.
- Insert the brad strip with the angled points aligned with the firing channel. On most models, the points tip away from the rear of the tool.
- Slide the strip forward until the first brad registers in the channel.
- Close the magazine, reconnect the air, and test-fire into scrap wood.
If the gun jams immediately after loading, the strip is in backwards. Flip it and test again. And check your compressor pressure—too high and the brads sink too deep into the trim; too low and they curl over. Testing on a scrap piece of pine takes five seconds and prevents both.
One more thing: a brad nailer is for finish work—trim, molding, thin stock. When the plan calls for a structural connection, go back to Steps 1 through 3.
What Still Catches People Out
A few patterns that show up across projects and crews:
- Brackets and fasteners are a package deal. The connector's published load rating assumes specific fasteners. Change the fastener, and you've changed the rating.
- The manufacturer's engineering data is the source of truth. When I look up a Simpson Strong-Tie product, I'm checking the load tables, the ICC-ES report, and the approved fastener list. That's what the inspector wants to see.
- Quality decisions are business decisions. After I stopped letting material cost drive my fastener choices, my inspection callbacks dropped and general contractors started requesting me by name. Clients might not know a Titen HD from a lag bolt, but they can feel the difference in a deck that doesn't bounce. That's how referrals happen.
That's the checklist. Five steps, plus a few expensive lessons that built it. If you're new to structural hardware, these checks will save you the same $3,200 I spent on learning the hard way. Maybe more.
