Deck Fastener Phantom Surface Installation

Hidden fasteners allow you to create a smooth, unmarred deck surface that resembles a high-end interior floor. One such fastener, the Phantom, works with deck boards featuring grooves in the sides. The Fiberon composite decking company in New London, North Carolina, which makes the Phantoms, recommends that you fasten your first board at one end of the deck with stainless steel or composite deck screws and then begin using the Phantom hidden fasteners for the rest of the boards.

Drill and bit set
Deck screws
Measuring tape

Instructions

- 1
  Press the single tab of a Phantom hidden fastener into the groove on the open side of the first deck board at every point where it crosses a joist. Double-check that the fastener engages the deck board’s groove to a depth of at least 5/16 inch, Fiberon advises.
- 2
  Center the fastener’s screw hole on the joist. Drive the provided screw into the joist without overtightening. Repeat at each joist.
- 3
  Press the second deck board’s groove into the fastener tabs, which are T-shaped -- one side of the T is in the first deck board, and the second side goes into the second deck board. Tilt the second deck board up if necessary to engage the tabs. Double-check that the two deck boards have the recommended gap of 3/16 inch, indicating that the fastener tabs have engaged the grooves correctly.
- 4
  Repeat the installation of hidden fasteners into the grooves of each board. Press the final deck board into place and secure its outside edge with 2 1/2-inch stainless steel or composite deck screws.

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