Tuesday, February 28, 2012

A little about fasteners

Deck Fasteners are the overlooked component on a deck.  So often the emphasis is on what type of decking to use or what style of handrail while fasteners get pushed to the back burner.  Although fasteners seem like an afterthought they can make a mediocre deck look incredible or an incredible deck mediocre.

First lets focus on types of screw heads.  There are two common types of screw heads. One is  torx head.  It looks like a star.  The other common style is the Robertson head.  This is a square head.  Both are durable and easy to work with and far better than phillips head screws that tend to easily strip out. If you are at store that only sells phillip head deck screws then its worth the effort to go to store that sells torx head or robertson head deck screws. 

All deck fasteners have a special coating on them that protects them against the corrosive chemicals in treated lumbers.  Without this coating the fasteners would wear out in a couple of years and your deck would fall apart.

When it comes to fasteners for decking there are several options.

1.   Regular Deck Screws.  These are the most basic and easy way to hold your boards in place.  Most of the time they work very well.  In most cases they are paintable so when you stain your deck the screws will be pained as well.  The down side of the screws is that they are great for treated lumber decking but don't look look are good with cedar, redwood, or ipe. Also,  The cannot be used with vinyl of composite deck board.

2.  Color match deck screws.  These are very similar to regular deck screws but are typically used for composite or vinyl decking.  They usually have a special head that cuts into the board and prevents mushrooming.  They also have a wide range of colors to match the different colors of decking.

3.  Hidden fasteners.  Hidden fasteners make your deck boards look like they are resting on the deck frame.  Using hidden fasteners can turn a simple deck into an elegant deck.  There are many styles though and it can get a little overwhelming.  There are clips, and brackets, and track systems.  All of them have there pluses and minuses based on your situation.  If you plan on using them then makes sure to find which style is the best for the decking you plan on using.  Hidden fasteners usually cost more and are more time consuming than just using screws but the results are a great looking deck.

When picking a fastener the best choice will be the one that best compliments your deck.  Sometimes the more expensive choice will work best sometimes the most cost efficient choice is the best.