Stainless Steel Ring Coilated Ring Nails:
There are a few different options for fastening your decking to the frame of your deck. When I build my decks in Suffolk County I like to give my customers all the options to choose from. The first option I always recommend is using stainless steel coilated ring shank nails. There are a bit more expensive because stainless steal is an expensive metal but for an important reason. Stainless steal does not rust which will prevent any rust mark from appearing on the surface of your deck. It will also last the life of your deck so you don’t have to worry about the nails rusting and breaking. When this happens with cheaper fasteners you will begin to get bounces from loosening boards. The ring shank on the nail acts as threads on a screw and provides more grip in the deck from to also help avoid any type of bouncing from loosely fastened boards. The third positive is that the stainless steal ring nails can be installed using a nail gun which will more then double the time in which a deck can be installed and decrease the overall price of the installation of the deck.
Traditional Screws
The traditional screw was used primarily before nail guns were made available. It provided a tighter installation and a longer lasting hold to keep the deck tight for a majority of its lifetime. Screws have become more obsolete after the nail gun was invented. The negative aspect about using screws are that they hold so tight that when it comes time to eventually replace the decking it is very difficult remove from the frame because the screw heads usually have been stripped, weathered and destroyed making it difficult to unscrew them. In this case each screw has to be individually removed by either breaking or cutting them. This makes instillation for the new decking material more difficult because the tops of the floor joists are not as clean.
Stainless steel painted finish head screws:
The painted finish head screws are typically used with hard wood installation. Many customers that I have serviced in Suffolk County that have used hard wood request this type of screw. The hard wood decking has a nice finish and customers do not want the clash of a metal colored screw against the rich earth tones of the hard woods. This is where the colored heads become an important part of the deck. The colored heads can be matched to the color of the hard wood so that it’s hard to notice the screws if they are counter sunk and positioned flush to the decking surface. This results in a beautiful finish on the deck top for the customer who wants to go the extra mile and who appreciates the subtle details.
Clip fastening system:
A trend that I have been seeing in decking in Suffolk County is the clip installation system. The clip system has become a popular choice in the last 10 years. The clip system only works for certain composite decking that is manufactured with a groove cut into the sides of the decking board. This grove is needed to secure the clip in between the boards and as the screw that is attached to the clip is tightened the board is set in place. The beauty of the clip system is that the screw and the clip are hidden in between the boards so you will not see any fasteners at all. This process is more work for instillation so in turn may elevate the overall cost of the deck but is a nice way to fasten you deck for a nice clean finished look.
There are a few different options for fastening your decking to the frame of your deck. When I build my decks in Suffolk County I like to give my customers all the options to choose from. The first option I always recommend is using stainless steel coilated ring shank nails. There are a bit more expensive because stainless steal is an expensive metal but for an important reason. Stainless steal does not rust which will prevent any rust mark from appearing on the surface of your deck. It will also last the life of your deck so you don’t have to worry about the nails rusting and breaking. When this happens with cheaper fasteners you will begin to get bounces from loosening boards. The ring shank on the nail acts as threads on a screw and provides more grip in the deck from to also help avoid any type of bouncing from loosely fastened boards. The third positive is that the stainless steal ring nails can be installed using a nail gun which will more then double the time in which a deck can be installed and decrease the overall price of the installation of the deck.
Traditional Screws
The traditional screw was used primarily before nail guns were made available. It provided a tighter installation and a longer lasting hold to keep the deck tight for a majority of its lifetime. Screws have become more obsolete after the nail gun was invented. The negative aspect about using screws are that they hold so tight that when it comes time to eventually replace the decking it is very difficult remove from the frame because the screw heads usually have been stripped, weathered and destroyed making it difficult to unscrew them. In this case each screw has to be individually removed by either breaking or cutting them. This makes instillation for the new decking material more difficult because the tops of the floor joists are not as clean.
Stainless steel painted finish head screws:
The painted finish head screws are typically used with hard wood installation. Many customers that I have serviced in Suffolk County that have used hard wood request this type of screw. The hard wood decking has a nice finish and customers do not want the clash of a metal colored screw against the rich earth tones of the hard woods. This is where the colored heads become an important part of the deck. The colored heads can be matched to the color of the hard wood so that it’s hard to notice the screws if they are counter sunk and positioned flush to the decking surface. This results in a beautiful finish on the deck top for the customer who wants to go the extra mile and who appreciates the subtle details.
Clip fastening system:
A trend that I have been seeing in decking in Suffolk County is the clip installation system. The clip system has become a popular choice in the last 10 years. The clip system only works for certain composite decking that is manufactured with a groove cut into the sides of the decking board. This grove is needed to secure the clip in between the boards and as the screw that is attached to the clip is tightened the board is set in place. The beauty of the clip system is that the screw and the clip are hidden in between the boards so you will not see any fasteners at all. This process is more work for instillation so in turn may elevate the overall cost of the deck but is a nice way to fasten you deck for a nice clean finished look.