My uncle the carpenter swore by drywall screws for deck boards and I learned the hard way

He told me last spring that deck screws were a waste of money and to just use the box of drywall screws he had sitting around. 10 years of experience he said, never had an issue. By August I had three boards popped loose and one snapped clean in half when I stepped on it. Had to pull up half the deck and redo it with actual coated deck screws, cost me about $60 extra and a whole Saturday of my summer. Anyone else ever get bad advice from a family member that set you back way more than you saved?

3 comments

3 Comments

finleyw9923d ago

Honestly, is this really that deep though? Drywall screws pop loose on a deck in one season, big deal. You spent $60 and a Saturday, which sucks, but that's like the cost of a minor mistake on a project. Tbh, I've seen people use regular nails for decks and have them last years without issues, it's more about the wood and the weather than the exact screw. Your uncle probably just got lucky with his technique or used different wood, not like he was trying to sabotage you. Ngl, sounds like a learning experience about listening to old-timers with outdated advice rather than a huge tragedy. You fixed it, life goes on, no need to make it sound like a life lesson.

daniel59323d ago

Man, you know what, I actually used to think like that too. I'd see guys on forums talking about drywall screws vs deck screws and roll my eyes like "come on, it's a screw, it holds stuff." But then I helped my buddy redo his back deck last summer and we found all these little rusted screws that had just snapped off under the boards. It was all from the pressure treated wood shrinking and expanding over a couple years, and the brittle drywall screws couldn't handle it. The ones we used were like 50 cents a pop at the hardware store, so that $60 Saturday adds up way faster than you'd think when you're pulling up half your deck. I hear you on nails lasting too, but I think the real lesson here is that building stuff takes a weird amount of specific knowledge that nobody tells you about until you screw it up.

lisak2622d ago

My uncle had this old shed he built back in the 80s, used whatever screws were lying around his garage. Last fall I helped him tear it down and half the boards just crumbled apart around these rusted out screws that looked like they'd been through a war. He swore up and down it was the wood quality back then being better, but I think it's just that nobody bothered to think about what happens inside a wall or under a deck after a few rainy seasons. It's funny how something as dumb as a screw can completely wreck a project if you pick the wrong one. Now I'm the guy standing in the hardware aisle reading labels for twenty minutes, and my girlfriend makes fun of me every time.