Are Screws or Hidden Fasteners Better for Composite Decking?

Screws and Fasteners

• Screws are the traditional deck-building attachment. While nails can work as well, the torque of screws resists the temperature changes that can push nails out of boards. Always use corrosion resistant screws that are designed for decks. Hidden fasteners are small plastic or metal wedges that are screwed in place and slide into slots in the sides or bottom of the composite boards, keeping the attachments hidden.

Appearance

• The major factor in choosing screws or hidden fasteners is appearance. If you are worried about the appearance of screws, know that you can buy screws shaded like your boards so they blend in. Fasteners will always be hidden, so if you absolutely do not want anything showing but your deck, you can use fasteners instead of screws. Fasteners also include small side-wedges so you can automatically gap your boards, leading to a more uniform appearance.

Speed

• Because fasteners must be screwed into and oriented, fasteners have an extra step that will tend to take longer than using screws. If time is an issue, if you are racing the end of a season or the weather, then using screws might be a better choice, as long as you still install the deck properly. However, composite boards are dense and require significant predrilling for screws, so either method will take longer than normal wood boards.

Type

• The type of screws or fasteners is also important. Some hidden fasteners are designed for composite boards. If you buy composite decking designed to be used with fasteners, buy the right fasteners instead of using screws. If the boards do not have pre-made slots for fasteners, you might want to use screws instead.