deck screws for soffit installation?

[Salty Thumb]

I saw some of the older posts recommending deck screws for fasteners. Is this a good idea? I don't mind saying I'm too much of a wus and not to mention clumsy to nail about 60' of soffit manually (no nail guns or electricity available) but I suppose screwing them in with a cordless drill is doable. I even tried pre-drilling nail holes ... too time consuming. We are using 1/4" plywood.

I don't want to be rolling around in my grave 50 years from now when someone asks "I wonder who the clown who screwed these in and painted over them was".

oh yeah, we were going to put in soffit vents but apparently the attic is blocked off from the eaves (no air flow). Is this normal? I guess it is a

1950s or 60s ranch house (house is not mine, just helping a friend)

[Sacramento Dave]

I would think putting screws in would be more work than nailing , certainly would cost more, Screw heads would look like crap painted. You could rent a nail gun.I would also cut some vents or use a soffit vent ( runs the length of the soffit ) I guess you could knock some of the roof blocks out between the rafters depending on your situation to get some air flow in the attic. I would of used at least 3/8 ply but I don't what your spanning nailing support spacing.

[Salty Thumb]

"Sacramento Dave" wrote in news:TpMIe.389$ [e-mail]:

Thanks for the reply. We ended up using deck screws. With a cordless drill it was a lot easier than banging on a nail 7-8 times and getting a face full of roofing debris. I not sure if we used self- tapping screws or not, but no pre-drilling was necessary, just screwed them in, no fuss. The painted screw heads didn't look too bad to me, but then again I am blind. We did however install some vents. The owner will punch out some holes to the attic when he gets the guts. He also promised to let me know if it was fun to unscrew the soffits if he goes that way (and not through the attic).