My Decking Screws Experience
I’m very new to the do it yourself world and when I decided to construct my very own deck, I had to complete some extensive research into what decking screws were perfect for what types of environments. I would like very much to share what I found with you.
It sounded like a simple enough task to build myself a little deck overlooking the pool and, in the beginning it absolutely was. The drawing up of the plans went with no hitch and i also got a bit of really good information on what wood to make use of and how it should be treated. What I didn’t get told was just how many different types of decking screws you can find.
The first thing you need to know is that for outdoor usage, stainless steel decking screws work most effectively, especially if you live near the coast where the water content in the air is high. Stainless-steel decking screws are available in various grades. Marine grade (316) is best because it is quite high in nickel and will not rust very easily. Using stainless steel decking screws is much more important if you use a hardwood for your deck. A great many other metals will certainly react with the wood and could either rust quickly or produce satins on the lovely wood.
The following thing is: don’t skimp on the expense. There’s a major distinction between cheap “marine grade” decking screws and much more expensive marine decking screws. Among the risks of utilizing cheap decking screws is that they strip more readily. This is particularly relevant when you are using a hardwood for you deck. The density of the wood is such that a great deal of force is needed to have the screws to tap into the wood, a substandard screw will not stand up to that sort of stress on its head and is going to inevitably strip, they might even snap off if the neck is of sufficiently substandard quality which means you will have an ugly hole within your lovely wood with a low quality piece of screw sticking out of it. If you do manage to get the low quality screw into your wood, the force required to get it in will have made it brittle and even more likely to break under the slightest stress.
If you can locate them, torx screws are even better. They have a six pointed star head which is a lot more protected from stripping than even the most top quality stainless-steel decking screws.
Also, make sure you have sufficient screws. It’s a good plan to buy no less than one third more screws than you imagine you will have to accommodate the unavoidable stripping and breaking of screws, particularly if you are intending on utilizing a cheaper variety of screw.
So, in general, it’s not smart to be a cheap skate when it comes to buying decking screws for your hardwood deck. They will strip very easily and break under pressure. They are also made from poor quality metals that will stain your wood and rust away much more quickly than a good quality screw.
For more information about decking screws visit the website http://www.eurekadiy.ie
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