On Deck

The Right Fasteners for Cedar Decking

 Cedar is an excellent decking building material. It's regarded as a premium type material...which is why it's somewhat fascinating to discover other contractors working with it using the wrong fasteners. There are three good fastener options for cedar decking in my opinion:

1) Hot-dipped galvanized (Maze) nail- most common and least expensive. Make sure (read the box) that the layer of galvanition is correct for cedar.
2) Collated stainless steel deck screw- I really recommend the one made by Pam screws. There are several different types of collated screws but I recommend the one that's designed for IPE. This screw is 2 ½” # 10 and has a self drilling point to start the screw easily and without any splitting while penetrating the decking. Also, on the bottom side of the screw heads there are small cutter knifes which countersink the head of the screw. It gives a nice, clean look and prevents splinting or splintering.
3) Hidden fastener- Cedar is a very stable material. As such, you can take a slightly more cosmetic approach and go with hidden fasteners. In particular, I like the hidden fasteners put out by Deck Master System. It too gives a nice, clean look. You'll have to mind your pocketbook though with this option as it tends to be about $3/square foot more (as well as taking longer to install).

So determine the right fastener for you and have fun with your cedar!

Deck Atlanta, Part 2

In the last post, I shared my thoughts on the the market and where we are.  I mentioned that I thought the market would weed out those deck builders who weren't doing it right.  I want to expand on that a little bit.  Times are tough right now for everyone.  If I had it my way, all homes in the Atlanta metro area would have a beautiful deck and/or screened porch (can you imagine?) and the area deck builders would all have plenty of business.  But that's just not case, right now anyway.

The general slowdown and certification will probably weed out the "weekend" builders and those that aren't serious.  Because this profession is important to me, I like to see homeowners get a good product.  And this means a minimum level of professionalism by the builders.  In addition to building decks, we promote a high level of professionalism and worksmanship by deck builders through consulting.  Up until of late, we haven't done a great job of promoting these services.  But that will soon change.

We will have a new site up soon (domain is www.screenedporchesanddecks.com) that will be about helping fellow deck builders become successful. There will be how-to videos and building supplies all drawing from our long experience in building decks.  Whether you're an atlanta deck contractor or you operate in another part of the country, it won't make a difference.  Give it a couple of months then be sure to visit.  And we'll be looking for your feedback then.