jsmith

Need to rebuild a deck that was destroyed by a storm and I want to use a nail gun this time because it's faster and I have lupus and I am not as strong anymore. Someone told me to get a 6 inch nail gun and I need to know if that is the right size and I am using pressure treated sheets of plywood to make a platform deck.

BridgeMan

I'd suggest you not use plywood for the new deck, either as framing members or the walking surface. It will not weather well, tending to split and quickly deteriorate. A better way to go would be 2 x framing members and either 5/4 or 2 x deck planks for the walking surface (wood or composite). Planks allow water to drain through without collecting, meaning the surfaces won't tend to deteriorate as quickly, and they'll also be less slippery than solid plywood.

Use a variable-speed screw gun for making the connections, or through-bolts where necessary for the larger support structure. Unless you know what you are doing, a nail gun can easily result in painful or fatal incidents (when nails go flying and ricocheting around/into your body parts).

nealtw

A framing gun would be the one you need for nails from 2" to 3" but they are fairly heavy and might not fit the bill for you. A powerfull portable drill for driving screws might be the better tool.
As Bridgeman said plywood would not be the answer unless you plan on covering it with vinyl of fiberglass.
I'm more interested in what you are going to do to make it more wind resistant this time.

jsmith

I had a gazebo bolted to the floor and we had straight line winds that were. 70 miles an hour with a thunderstorm and the gazebo collapsed.

nealtw

So you will be spending some time looking at ways to protect you new structure from the wind.

jsmith

Yes the wind got under the roof and lifted and pushed it forward and the sides swayed and back and forward which caused the roof to cave in . This is the second deck I have hd to replace within a two year time period because I live in the south and we have tornados and bad thunderstorms.

nealtw

Ouch. I guess nothing can protect you from a direct hit. I would be all over the catalog for simpson strong ties.

joecaption

About the only ting I use a nail gun for when building a deck is to tack the rim joist in place in the middle to hold them in place while I drill the holes for through bolts.
Instead of some heavy duty drill for driving screws I use a cordless impact driver. Light weight, drives them fast, far more torque then just a cordless drill.
I 100% agree with the other posters on not using plywood, huge mistake.

There has to something very wrong with the way this thing was built if it keeps falling down. I also live in the south where it's common latly to get some freakey storms come through and have yet to have anything I have built for the last 15 years fall down.
Common problums I see with DIY built Gazebos and Pergalas is they use 4 X 4's not 4 X 6's or 6 X 6's, no diaganals, or poorly designed ones. Using nails instead of through bolting all support members. Poor attachment of the post to the deck. No hurricane ties used on the rafters.
If you post some pictures of what it looked like before I'm sure someone here can figure out why it failied.

inspectorD

When you say Gazebo...do you mean a metal and fabric one you buy at a big store?

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CallMeVilla

InspectorD, you raise a good point. If the storm damage is chronic, maybe the gazebo whould be fabric walled, not wood. Cheaper. Rips off in a storm instead of resisting. Easier to replace. Mother Nature is talking . . . time to listen?