deck repair

Sunday August 1, 2010:

I am new to working on decks. My deck is old and I am repairing it. I am going to use nails and screws. I am looking for elementary advice on the nails and screws to use.

For example I was replacing a plank on my deck staircase
I bought some exterior screws screws (Grip Eite Fasteners 2 -1/2"). The screw head is the classic criss-cross.

I made a pilot hole with a drill in 1-1/2" wood plank and then used a power driver to put the screw through the hole and into pressure treated lumber staircase below. There was no pilot hole drilled in the pressuer treated lumber. I found that the power screwdriver destroyed the head of the screw as I tried to drive it through the pressure-treated staircase wood. I wondered if there is a better screw design that cannot be reamed out so easily by a power screwdriver. For example I have seen analagous screws with star head or square head design and you use the corresponding driver bit.

I switched to construction nails (3", 10 d) and used them. This worked and secured the planks to the staircase, but I still wondered it 10 d was a little big and I noted the nails I used did not make any statement about exterior use.

I am am looking for general basic advice and wood appreciate comments.

Angus

There are many different types of nails and brads. The common nail is most widely used. It has a flat head and is used where the appearance of the nail head is not objectionable. The length of a nail is identified by its penny size. In the early days of nail manufacturing, this term designated the weight of nails per hundred. Today it designates only the length and size of the nail.