Just realized I picked the wrong fasteners for a deck rebuild

Had to choose between stainless steel screws and coated deck screws for a job in Portland last month. Picked stainless cause I thought they'd last longer. They snapped like crazy in the pressure treated wood. Had to redrill every other hole. Anyone else run into this with stainless in treated lumber?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly.dylan11d ago

Wonder if that's actually a real problem or just something people say.

riley_coleman811d ago

Hold up, you used stainless on pressure treated wood? That's like a recipe for snap city right there, the chemicals in that lumber eat stainless alive. You definitely want coated deck screws for treated stuff, the coating stops the reaction that makes them brittle. Sorry you had to learn that one the HARD way man.

jones.blake11d ago

Wait, so the chemicals in the treated wood actually make stainless steel brittle? I always figured stainless was the tougher option for ANY kinda outdoor project. Totally changed my mind now though. I'd have snapped a bunch of screws just like you did thinking I was being clever. Good to know the coating on those deck screws actually does something important instead of just being a gimmick. Makes me want to redo a few things on my own deck actually.