Hidden fasteners will enhance the look of your deck.
Posted By Craig on July 15, 2010
hidden deck clip
You do not need to have screw heads spoiling the look of your deck. Most decks are attached with either nails or screws. This can cause your deck boards to crack and the heads of the fastener shows and can be hot to walk on. With composite decking, the screws are more noticeable than in wood and detract from the look of your expensive deck material. Fortunately, there are are several ways to attach deck boards without using exposed screws. Many manufacturers of composite decking have boards with grooves on the sides that allow you to insert a clip into the groove and then you screw the clip the joist. The clips space the deck boards at the correct gap and they are hidden between the two boards. For solid wood decks or composites that do not have a groove you can create a groove with a router or biscuit joiner. You can then use the deck clips on your material. I recently installed a deck in Utah using this method and the instalation took longer that if the boards were pre-grooved but this particular manufacturer does not make grooved board. Some of the hidden fasteners can be attached with a nail gun that drives the screw into the joist for a big time saver.
Another method of attaching composite boards is to use a special screw that comes with a plug the color of your decking. The screw is counter sunk and the hole is covered with the plug. When you are done the plugs are barely visible. This is a great method of attaching the decking on stairs or handrails. With the great looks of tropical wood or premium composite you do not want to spoil the look with screw head showing. with the many types of hidden deck fasteners any deck can look its best with hidden screws.
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