Decking - screws or nails

[ShepFL]

Gonna build a deck finally. Wife has been nagging for some time to get this done and I have only been playing with tractors. We came to agreement that if I build deck I get to add 2 clay bird throwers on opposite corners :0

Since not working got some spare time and some $$ set back for this.Going to be using PT Yellow Pine and Cypress.

I know I can lay decking boards faster with nail gun but thinking of long term maintenance (replace boards) so looking at screws. Seems it would take longer to install but if I have to replace I can just unscrew boards vs. pulling flush nails.

Thoughts? Pros / Cons?

 

[donjr]

It'll cost you a bit more now, but in the long run, it's a lot cheaper to build it right now. Use treated lumber for your framing, and 'Trex'or a similiar product for your flooring and screw it down. The treated lumber will last much longer than umtreated, and the 'Trex' is pretty well maintenance free. I built my deck 13 years ago and the only maintenance I have is on the railing pickets. The neighbor is now replacing his deck for the second time in the same period, mostly because of splinters.

 

[old]

Cypress yes yellow pine no unless it is treated. Built a good many decks over the years when I was working for a contractor and we always used treated lumber and screws. My deck is made from lumber that was going to be burned or thrown away and it is still good enough to use. Last stuff I got used from habitat for humanity for around $25 which was enough to do a 10 by 20 deck area

 

[NCWayne]

I built the deck on my place back in '94 when I bought the house. It's nothing but 5/4 board and treated lumber and other than 'showing it's age because I don't keep it waterproofed often enough, it's still solid. The only thing I'd do different if I had to do it again, is to have screwed down the boards instead of nailing them. I say this because over the years the nails have started backing out at random. Now I just wish I had the dough to refloor it with the new 'plastic' stuff that doesn't need waterproofing, etc, etc to stay looking good.

 

[ShepFL]

Thanks and will check out TREX.

 

[casenut1]

if using treated lumber, you have to use the ceramic coated screws otherwise the treatment will eat the fasteners. the composite deck boards are the way to go.

 

[MarkB_MI]

I went with stainless steel ring-shank nails because I don't like the appearance of exposed screw heads. These were all hand-nailed, and I found them very easy to bend. A year later I had to hammer them back down because the wood shrank, but since then they've been trouble-free for fifteen years. I drove the nails at a slight angle so they would grip better.

Personally I don't think it makes much difference in the long run, as long as you use quality fasteners and good lumber.

 

[Dick2]

Check out the new methods of fastening that they've been showing on the home improvement shows that don't leave the screws showing.

Common nails are not good, but I've heard some comments that the coated nails used in nail guns will hold better than screws in many applications.

 

[JML755]

I used spiral galvanized deck nails (hand hammered) on my cedar deck I put in 25 years ago. Not a single nail has backed out. It's as flat as the day I put it in.

 

[ericlb]

screws, always,after a couple of years nails will come up, and you have to deal with tripping, loose boards, ect on a almost daily basis, leaned this the hard way

 

[JOB]

The new treated lumber will eat up a cadmium plated lag bolt in a few years, same with nails. I used stainless screws on my deck. Never heard of ceramic coated, but you should not use common fasteners.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Yep, check out those hidden fastener systems, they use a groove in the side of the board, and the screw holds down the back edge of the first board, and the front edge of the next board. Uses less screws, but some hardware. Takes a little more labor to install, but the look is worth the effort.

 

[Stephen Newell]

Screws are much better. I've had to work on a number of decks where the nails would back out enough where people are tripping over them. You didn't say what type of wood the deck is. If it is pressure treated pine you should use different screws. The chemicals in treated wood are very corrosive to screws and nails so you should use hot-dipped zinc-coated galvanized steel, stainless steel, silicon bronze or copper fasteners.

 

[LJD]

I'd never consider using nails from an air-nailer. Unless stainless-steel, the coating on them isn't good enough to resist the chemicals in properly treated wood. My vote is for screws - but spiral-shank hot-dip nails will also work fine.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Few years ago my brother and I built a deck with a treated lumber frame work, and used Geodeck for the top. We also used a hidden screw fastener system, that has some angle iron type things on the joists and then screws into the bottom of the decking. When done it was a great system and very clean and professional looking, with no fasteners showing.

 

[MFPoor]

11 days ago, our area was bombarded with tornadoes, some as strong as F4. A nephew of mine had his house completely blown away. Several of us spent the weekend helping him clean up what's left.

His front porch was built out of treated wood, nailed together about 4 years ago. Not much of any of it left. What is there is pieces. Rear deck was treated wood, screwed together. The tornado flipped it over and threw it across the street, but it was still essentially all in one piece.

I know which way I'd go.

 

[brian(MN)]

Use screws, nails will eventually come out a bit and your scoop shovel will catch on them when moving snow. Or you could hammer the nails back in every year or two.

 

[JDseller]

I would use screws on whatever wood you use. I will never use pressure treated pine on a deck ever again. I built one twenty years ago on the back of the house. In five years you could not walk on it bare foot with out getting long splinters in your feet. I raised cane at my local lumber yard and they got me a credit toward new lumber. So I replaced all of the floor boards. That did not last much longer than the first and it was splintering again. I treated the wood every year too.

I was tired of the problems with the deck. I tore it out and replace it with a concrete porch that has a roof. It did not cost me much more than the deck did if you consider the labor in building the deck. We love the porch and hated the deck. Decks require maintenance every year.

One of my sons has a deck that is made out of the new fiberglass boards it is alright. Don't know how it will hold up it is only two years old.

 

[Gun guru]

I used deck screws.
Looks nicer, holds better.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Use treated lumber for the skeleton (frame) only. The main reason treated lumber needs to be sealed all the time, if not it will look bad. The screws I always use are troque screws, any composite material will out last treated lumber without having to seal it.

 

[El Toro]

Use Trex that's been mentioned. Hal
Untitled URL Link

 

[GordoSD]

Whatever you use don't drive or screw the fastener down so far as to ske s dent or s hole in the plsnk. This will hold water. Just FLUSH with the top surface. There's no pressure from the bottom unless it warps. And that may cuse the fastener to pull down too deep.

 

[ss55]

Fasten the deck boards with screws instead of nails. Screws stay tight and hold warped boards downflat. Nails loosen too easily, allowing boards to warp and lift.

 

[Mike M]

I'm with you! Forget the wood !

I have a concrete back porch area.

The kids swing set/jungle jim was made from real pipe. Wife always was wanting one of those fancy wooden ones. I asked her how good she was at pulling splinters out of screaming kids ? We went with the steel and it is heavy enough you don't need hold downs.

 

[bob15]

If you use nail, get the screw type nails; either in SS or hot dipped galvanized. Maze nails would be who i would buy them from.

bob
Maze Nails

 

[JDB]

Every year i remove the loose nails from my decks and replace them with screws

 

[dpendzic]

screws will not back out as nails do. If you use PT pine decking place it with the sapwood up, its more resistant to rot, splintering, and it tends to warp upward that will run water off and not puddle.
Trex seems to last better but it deflects 10 times more than wood, so the support stringers should be closer than for wood. Trex does seem to get quite hot in the sun

 

[Bill in IN]

Screws, put in from the bottom at an angle. Not as hard as you'd think and looks much better and should last a whole lot longer (think along the lines of pocket hole joinery)

 

[casenut1]

ceramic coated screws are available at Carter lumber .