Deck screws in PTW wood

I know my late mom's deck was a cheapo effort. Still, got PTW for the decking boards. Now, all the screws are rusty and pulling out and the wood is going bad, no doubt due to no kinda deck stain/preservatives and covering the deck with household carpenting, which held the moisture even longer than the Rocky Mountain snows. Plus, a buddy told me PTW will rot regular deck screws (3-1/2" ).

I plan to eventually renew the deck boards w/ new PTW boards, but what kinda screws? I don't wanna hafta do this again. ;)

nb

Reply to
notbob
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think no magnetc stainless for screws and better to use composite decking with no exposed screws for longer life

Reply to
bob haller

Nothing but stainless for me but Florida is tougher on hardware than most places.

Reply to
gfretwell

I like ringed deck nails. They don't leave a hole to hold water and are less noticeable once stained. I don't know of any reason that one needs screws.

I've been seeing screws even in railings. SS, square drive screws. They look fancy but split the wood and offer no advantage over nails.

Reply to
Mayayana

Holy crick-crock! So many variables. Do you mean ring shanked nails?

I haven't done any carpentry since 16 box nails were the height of construction technology. Were talking framing hammers. ;)

When I built new steps for my late mom, I used screws. Not cuz I knew best, but noticed the original steps and pretty much the entire deck was done with 3-1/2 screws (now all rusty and pulling out).

The first thing I learned was, I didn't know the diff between a battery pwrd drill and an impact/drill. After discovering I hadda pre-drill all those screw holes (3 guesses which one I got) cuz my DeWalt btry drill would only push those screws about half way, I discovered the impact/drill. I now have a Hitachi drill/driver, but I also have my late brothers framing air gun and a lot of his other tools (he was a master carpenter).

Reading online, I see arguments for both screws and nails. I'll be re-doing the deck board/planks in wood, in the CO Rockies, so a lotta dry/freeze cycles. Hope this info helps ppl replying to my OP.

nb

Reply to
notbob

I built a small deck recently using deck screws. Pre-drilled the holes when it was on the edges of the planks, but everything else went in easy without pre-drilling. Every deck we've built we used screws even the deck we built around our above ground pool. When we sold the pool, we sold the deck with it and the boards just had to be unscrewed and carted away.

Reply to
Muggles

| When we sold the pool, we | sold the deck with it and the boards just had to be unscrewed and carted | away. |

That's the one argument I can think of in favor of screws. Easier to take apart. I can't think of any other reason. Those holes you didn't pre-drill will end up with mini-splits and water will pool in the countersink, rotting the wood further. Flat head nails will virtually disappear because they're pretty much on the same plane as the wood.

Reply to
Mayayana

| Holy crick-crock! So many variables. Do you mean ring shanked nails? |

None other. :)

| cuz my | DeWalt btry drill would only push those screws about half way

That's another "improvement" that I don't get. I use a normal drill as a scrwgun. It works fine. There are times when a cordless drill would be nice, to avoid the extension cords, but I really just don't find extension cords to be such a big hassle. And maintaining one good drill is a lot cheaper than maintaining high-powered portable drills and the batteries needed to keep them running all day.

| Reading online, I see arguments for both screws and nails. I'll be | re-doing the deck board/planks in wood, in the CO Rockies, so a lotta | dry/freeze cycles. Hope this info helps ppl replying to my OP. |

I would look at the reasons people give. See if they really have sound logic or whether they're just repeating something they heard. I'm in New England. Lots of weather extremes. I just don't see the rusting of galvanized nails that people talk about. Our deck here is almost 20 years old. PT 4/4 x 6. It's not the most elegant wood, but it's held up fine. I've also used solid oil deck stain (which is hard to get now). I think one of the big mistakes people make with PT is to think it's impervious and then not put a finish on it. That's not only ugly. It also results in a lot of splitting, due to the combination of damage done by the pressure treating itself and the drying from the sun.

Reply to
Mayayana

| At 20 years old, it is probably the old PT wood, not the current stuff. Required | fasteners are different. |

It is the old stuff. So I have resistant arsenic instead of whatever it is they're using now. (To this day I haven't been able to find out what the new "acq" is made of.)

But that doesn't have anything to do with nails and screws.

Reply to
Mayayana

I built a 2 decks in 2007 (bought all materials at Menards) and every damn screw rusted through within 3 years. I'm told that now that the wood has dried out, the new screws won't rust through.

But if I had to do it all over again, I'd find a good grade of stainless steel deck screws.

Reply to
noname

On 09/17/2015 3:28 PM, Mayayana wrote: ...

Alkaline Copper Quaternary (also known as ACQ) treatment is made up of copper, a bactericide and fungicide and a quaternary ammonium compound (quat) which acts as biocide.

It is, ime, mostly ineffective as compared to CCA which is, generally, less effective than creosote (at least for posts in ground in this area).

Not sure what the above means, but--

ACQ, CA, ACZA and CCA all require hot-dipped(*) galvanized nails or stainless steel nails and screws. Fasteners should meet the ASTM A-153 specification for hot-dipped galvanizing. 304 or 316 stainless steel is good, some other common SS, "not so much". But note, don _not_ use galvanized fasteners with SS connectors.

Aluminum should not in direct contact with these products.

(*) Electroplated/electro-galvanized and mechanically galvanized coatings are _not_ equivalent to hot-dip galvanized. It requires Class

55 or higher mechanical galvanizing to be equivalent (per ASTM B695).
Reply to
dpb

Still, it's info one must wade through or perhaps miss a key point.

CCA = Chromated Copper Arsenate ACQ = Alkaline Copper Quaternary

Both ar Pressure Treated Wood (PTW), the later replacing the former by EPA dictate.

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I'm still getting conflicting opinions on which are the best fasteners. A retired gen contractor jes voiced his opinion that ring shank nails are to be avoided. (sigh) 8|

nb

Reply to
notbob

There are screws made specifically for preassure treated decking - they are ceramic coated. Or you can use hot galvanized if you can find them - otherwise non-magnetic stainless.

Or use cedar or composite decking. Even good spruce will last as long as some of the crappy PT being sold today if you through a coat of penetrating stain or Thompsons on it.

Reply to
clare

Not much of a carpenter or woodworker, I see.

If you pre-drill for screws the wood won't split. I don't surface nail or surface screw my decks. Deck clips work fine with hot galvanized roofing nails - and you don't see them. On my composite deck I used the plastic clips with stainless screws. Deck railing assembled with nails doesn't last very long. Screws hold more in tension than nails.

Reply to
clare

So far, I'm tending to agree.

I bought some 3/8-16 SS bolts/nuts/washers to secure the hand rail uprights to my mom's deck step risers (Ima mechanical kinda guy). I got 'em at True Value Hardware, so was not real sure if they were a good grade of stainless. The few bolts I didn't use, I left outdoors in the weather. After 6 yrs of rain/snow/sun, all parts show zero signs of rust. I'm amazed! ;)

nb

Reply to
notbob

| Alkaline Copper Quaternary

Thanks. I've been trying to find that for years!

Reply to
Mayayana

| CCA = Chromated Copper Arsenate | ACQ = Alkaline Copper Quaternary | | Both ar Pressure Treated Wood (PTW), the later replacing the former by | EPA dictate. | Yes. And it's not rated for ground contact! So there isn't really anything for that now.

| I'm still getting conflicting opinions on which are the best | fasteners. A retired gen contractor jes voiced his opinion that ring | shank nails are to be avoided. (sigh) 8|

Does he say why? I get the sense that a lot of people are just wowed by the latest thing. It's hard to imagine any reason not to use ringed, galvanized nails, except for Maggie's point that screws can be easily taken out for disassembly.

Reply to
Mayayana

| Not much of a carpenter or woodworker, I see. |

Apparently not, unlike yourself, who seem to have had a career in virtually every trade. :)

Reply to
Mayayana

Well, I've had several carreers - with several sub carreers within those.

Reply to
clare

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