Best screws for Merbau decking - colour coded?

[GeoffMS]

Hi all,

I am getting to the 'pointy' end of my decking project and am having some issue on deciding what screws to use.

I am laying 140 x 19 Merbau deck boards for an approx. 4.7 x 4.0mt deck - using approx. 28 deck boards over H3 treated pine joists.

My concern is, I wish to use screws that are close to the same colour as the Merbau colour - rather than 'silver' stainless steel.

I intend to use a natural oil to coat the Merbau and don't really want all the 'silver' stainless steel screws to 'shine'.

Is there a screw (stainless steel coloured or otherwise) that is available that will blend with the Merbau colour.

Was thinking these https://www.bunnings.com.au/buildex-10-8-x-65mm-climacoat-treated-pine-and-hardwood-decking-screws-1... but not sure if they would be suitable being for 'treated pine'.

Thanks for any help/advice.

[GeoffMS]

ok, getting to the stage of putting the noggins in place.

I have enough wood to do 2 rows of noggins - probably not needed, but I might as well use it up.

I was looking at hiring the Paslode FrameMaster-Li Powervent for about $46 (24hrs).

My dilemma is the nails ..... I'll probably require about 200-250 nails (75 x 3.06mm) at most.

Obviously, the galvanized nails are better for the anti-corrosion factor at a cost @ $92 for a packet of 1,000 nails. (couldn't find if there ware smaller quantity packets available).

For the 200-250 I need, it seems a little steep (so about $138 total).

But seeing it is just for noggins and that the deck is under cover of a pergola, would the Bright D head nails be sufficient (considering the are corrosive)?

At $30 for a 1,000 packet, it's a far more reasonable cost ($76 total) to the galvanized nails .....

Time is not a factor and am half thinking to just hand nail or screw in the noggins - cheaper again, but time consuming.

Just not sure which way to go 🤔

[MitchellMc]

Hi @GeoffMS,

How many noggins do you need to install? My preference would be to install them with Climacoat screws and a drill driver. 

Galvanised nails wouldn't be the best choice for treated Pine as they react with the treatment. You should never use galvanised fixings for structural elements on a deck. Bright nails are not suitable for exterior use as they have no coating and will rust away over time. Stainless steel would be the best choice in treated Pine, but you'll struggle to find nails in a 75mm length. You'd likely need to use joist hangers and shorter nails.

Please let me know if you have further questions.

Mitchell

[GeoffMS]

Hi @MitchellMc  and thanks for your reply.

Thanks for the advice about the Galvanised nails - I didn't realise they can react to treated pine.

And also about the Bright D nails - knew they would corrode over time, but thought 'they're just for noggins, so be might ok' - so they are a no-go too 😁

To answer your Q.... Minimum noggins required would be 10, but have plenty off cut wood so thought I'd use it up and do 20 noggins + some small noggins at 2 ends where the deck framing will be (so about 10) = about 30 in total.

Your recommendation for the Climacoat screws seems the way to go - same ones that I will be using to screw decking onto joists (except shorter).

[MitchellMc]

Since the noggins are an afterthought @GeoffMS, you could use the bright or gal nails it's just not a great building practice. Expect a limited life span on the fixings, and the noggins should not be considered a structural element.

Mitchell

[GeoffMS]

Well it took a bit of time by myself but I happy with my achievement 😁

Your recommendation @MitchellMc  and @EricL  to use the Buildex 10-8 x 65mm Climacoat treated pine/hardwood deck screws was a great choice, together with smart cut countersink was a time saver.  No broken or burred screws and the smart cut countersink bit completed the 800+ drill holes easily and without breaking.

One last bit of advice needed please ...... To secure the bottom skirting board (Porta 92 x 18mm 2.7m Moulding White Pine FJ Primed Bullnose)

to cement fibre wall sheets, I was going to use liquid nails but the skirting boards (4) all have a bow, so will be an issue to keep hard against each other - and straight.

So looks like I need to screw the boards to wall.

I presume these will do (although I don't need 200 - maybe 30-40) Macsim 8G x 30mm Fibre Cement Screws Galvanised - Jar 200.

And any thought on a drill bit to go through the cement fibre? 

Thanks.

[EricL]

Hi @GeoffMS 

Thank you very much for posting that photo of your decking project, it looks awesome. 

If you are drilling into cement sheet, I suggest using Kango 3mm x 90mm Masonry Drill Bit. The masonry drill bit is small but it will do the job. This will guarantee that the screw will be able to travel through the cement sheet and will anchor itself nice and tight. 

I recommend placing some heavy objects on the skirting board and leaving it overnight to possibly remove the bow. Make sure to drill countersunk pilot holes on the skirting board to prevent the timber from splitting.

Plese remember to wear personal protection such as gloves and goggles when working on your skirting board.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[GeoffMS]

Thanks @EricL  for your reply/suggestion.

I'll give your suggestion on some heavy objects on top of the skirting boards to hopefully even out the bows 😁

Any thought on the screws?
Macsim 8G x 30mm Fibre Cement Screws Galvanised - Jar 200 (200 is too many for my needs although not expensive) Any others that could do the job?

Thanks again.

[EricL]

Hi @GeoffMS 

The screws should work well with the cement sheets, my only suggestion is to make sure that the countersink in the timber moulding is deep enough so that the screw heads sit flush with the surface of the moulding.

Eric

[Jason]

It's looking awesome @GeoffMS. Very well done. 

When you are finished I hope you can hit the Share a project button and document the steps you took. I'm sure other Bunnings Workshop community members would be really interested and inspired to see more detail and the finished result.

All the best,

Jason