Nail your next deck project

If you’re installing many of the newer composite decking materials, chances are your customers want a deck that will be great-looking for a long time to come. The problem is: How do builders fasten it down? The old way was fasteners. Yuck. I haven’t installed a nailed-down deck for probably 20 years or more. There’s a reason. After nailing in boards, we used screws through the top of the boards. But, that left the heads still showing and they weren’t pretty. Then along came the self-recessing screws. They were even better, but still the heads showed.

My crew and I usually install a complete deck with virtually no screws (just a few to get the deck started) showing on the top of the deck. There are at least a half dozen ways of using clips of some sort to fasten your decking down to the joists. I have just been using what I feel is the best to come along.

Now, Fasco America Inc. has introduced its InvisiDeck Hidden SCRAIL Fastener System which includes SCRAIL Fasteners, I-CLP Clips and installation gun. Fasco America Inc., business unit and distributor of Beck Fastener Group products, distributes the patented Tiger Claw hidden-I-CLP deck fastener clips and InvisiDeck Tool. Combined with Fasco America’s innovative SCRAIL fasteners, the components create the basis for the hidden deck fastening system sold under the Fasco America brand name.

So, how does it work?

The little clip attaches to a dedicated nail gun that fires a nail with high-speed screw thread through the clip and into the joist. Yes, it is really that simple. The gun operates just like any other nail gun. Hook up the air, slide in a rack of screw/nails, put a clip on the nosepiece, apply it to the groove in the board and bang it’s done. Love it!

Now, I will admit you need pre-grooved boards or you need to groove boards with a router. Or you could use a biscuit cutter to cut a groove in non-grooved boards—but that’s still faster than face screwing. You also need the gun, screw/nails and clips. I could have used the system during a recent job. I just installed a branded non-grooved decking that happens to be a great composite product using a screw gun with collated screws. We installed it per customer request with countersinking face screws. It came out great, but I was about dead from forcing all the screws into the decking. And it took forever to complete. But that still didn’t make up for the fact I was installing twice as many screws at much greater effort than with Fasco’s system.

This system will make your job faster and easier. Not to say anything about how great the deck looks without all the stupid screws showing their heads all the time. How about the times you’ve installed a screw only to have it not hit the joist or tried to install a screw only to have it bend as you were trying to get the thing to go into the decking? You don’t have to install many decks to make up for the cost of the tools, and from there on it is pure gravy.

OK. So the economy isn’t so great—or should I say nonexistent? This is a good time to get ahead of the competition and be able to produce a better job than the other guy.

Till next time, Art