our decking is being installed with finished nails.

[heygrey]

^o)

i'm sorry, is this normal? 

i've given the side-eye to several things they've done throughout this reno project, but whatev. contractors do things differently. but finishing nails? seriously? 

these guys have sort of become the "family contractor" for our landlord's family, as such, they have worked on some $$$ houses. everyone raves about them, too, so they can't be completely incompetent. i suppose i'll just close my eyes and be surprised when it's finished. maybe i'll be super impressed too. who knows. 


(fwiw, i grew up in a family of contractors and have spent a ton of time around building and renos. i'm no expert, but i'm also not a complete idiot. and i've never seen finishing nails involved with decking.)

[pitterwoo]

side-eye to them, but I guess since you don't own it you don't have to get too worked up.  I'm sure it will work/look fine for at least the short term.  

[sierramist03]

Our decking also a rental has nails in the decking which I believe is why the boards are warping and pulling apart.

[darby]

I have no clue what is correct or to code, but my DH is a huge Mike Holmes fan, & he always said you should never use nails on decks, only screws. For some reason this is one of the only things I retained from watching hours & hours of his shows....

[heygrey]

Jul 15, 2013 17:31:16 GMT -5 pitterwoo said:

side-eye to them, but I guess since you don't own it you don't have to get too worked up.  I'm sure it will work/look fine for at least the short term.  

this is what i'm telling myself, lol. 

i just feel bad for our landlords... they have no real idea about construction so they would never register it as weird. (if it is, maybe it's not? i want to give them the benefit of the doubt since they are generally well regarded contractors.) this is a huge project and landlords are spending $$$ on it. this is their house, too (we rent the basement), so it has to look good and function well for decades. 

[ssmjlm]

Uh yeah side eye from me. The old deck had nails, they were popping up or loose. We did everything with screws and/or the hidden fasteners.

[AmyRI]

Our decking is done with finished nails. They're hardwood boards, though, not pressure treated wood like most decks. I would have been sad if they put tons of screw holes in brand new mahogany.

Cupping and warping of boards happens when they aren't sealed properly (if the wood is wet when it gets sealed initially, or they aren't re-sealed often enough and moisture gets into the wood).

[sillygoosegirl]

Our deck has nails, but regular nails. Nothing wrong with it... until now... it's been a pain in the butt to replace the few boards that have rotted out. :-(

When we get the deck redone, it's gonna be with screws for sure.

[mrsemilys]

Only screws. Definitely say something or you will regret it!!

[heygrey]

Jul 15, 2013 19:44:15 GMT -5 AmyRI said:

Our decking is done with finished nails. They're hardwood boards, though, not pressure treated wood like most decks. I would have been sad if they put tons of screw holes in brand new mahogany.

i think this is the deal. it's expensive custom ordered cedar, not your run of the mill pressure treated whatever from Home Depot. 

i went out and inspected after they left (i try not to actually side eye them while they are working, lol) and it appears that one nail goes in the top and another goes in the side at an angle into the joist. i *think* the angles would keep the boards from shifting and warping? it is nicer because it doesn't put a ton of hardware in the fancy boards, but it's just so counterintuitive to everything i know about deck building. 

i did say something to my landlord too. she had no idea that it was different or potentially "wrong" so she is going to ask them about it tomorrow. not accusing, just inquiring. there is another potential issue with the bracing they've put up to pour a concrete pad so that needs addressed anyway. if they pour it where the bracing is it's not where landlord wants it to be and it's going to look wonky. 

anyway. i'll be really glad when this project is over. for the most part it's coming along really well and we'll have an amazing, huge deck (almost 400 sq/ft!) when it's done.

[house]

OMG..the previous owner used regular nails on our pool size deck he hand built using cheap hardwood boards. There are thousands of nails and even then boards keep popping up when they dry after rain. We have to hammer them back in every frickin time!

[crispnclean]

Nails are appropriate for use on a deck, but I have never heard of using finishing nails. I wouldn't think they would be large enough to hold the boards down.

[ktzmoh]

heygrey I have no idea what's appropriate for decks, but even if nails are appropriate, it seems like you'd need something heavier than finishing nails, no?

darby - you must have also retained a fondness for purple spray foam after watching hours and hour of mike holmes, no? Everytime something goes wrong in our house, H and i look at each other and say "bring in the purple spray foam!"

[vic1011]

Finish nails gets the side eye from me too - but what do I know! Yay for a huge deck though!

[darby]

Jul 16, 2013 11:42:26 GMT -5 ktzmoh said:

darby - you must have also retained a fondness for purple spray foam after watching hours and hour of mike holmes, no? Everytime something goes wrong in our house, H and i look at each other and say "bring in the purple spray foam!"

Ha ha! How could I forget that?! Oh, gosh...love it!

[auntie]

WTF?

A couple of the scouts in DS's troop did decking Eagle Projects- footbridges, scorers' boxes, outdoor stage, wheelchair ramps- most of the recent ones have used a blind screw fastening system.

I would expect someone doing this for a living would do as decent a job as a bunch of 16 year old boys.