Doing Batu Decking (fastners)

[dreadz]

Hi im doing a batu decking on a treated pine joist (4.2 x 7.5 area) (95 x 3.9 batu boards) and was wondering what my best option to fasten them to the joist as ive read alot of posts saying nails and screws and now im confused, also whats a good stain to use and is it best to stain the boards before hand.

thanks

[Burnsy]

Do you mean 95 x 19?

It all depends what tools you have available to you. Many don't like using nail guns but if you have a coil nailer available you can not go past 52 mm stainless ring shank nails with a dome head in my opinion, you will probably still need to predrill and hand nail the ends to stop splitting. If you hand nail make sure you use decking nails (twist shank) and predrill the ends.

I hate screwing boards down but if you have the patience you will get a good finish, use stainless screws and clearance drill the batu decking with a combined drill and countersink bit - snappa make a good one that you can change the bits in to allow for shorter bits that only drill the batu and don't go though into the joist.

[Spelunx]

With the fasteners, I believe the general consenus is that Titadeck type nails are the way to go. They are a nail that has a shank on it for better grip. I have just completed around 50Sqm using these, through Jarrah decking into treated pine, and can attest to their staying power.

Screws definately have more staying power, but are an expensive option. Also, screws are easier for the non-tradesman to use, as they are less fatiguing. The thing is though, you will need a really good drill to get the job done, probably in the region of $300+, whereas the best hammer on the market is $80, and a $19.95 one will get the job done too. Add the cost of the drill to the cost of the screws, and it is one expensive option.

Galvanised nails are the last option, and are still a good one. They are a little bit cheaper than Titadeck, and have good holding power. For my money though, the difference is negligible, and there is a big difference in performance, so I would go with the Titadeck.

Remember to cost in the price of kneepads, at around $12, they will make the job a hell of a lot more comfortable, meaning a better job in the end!

Not sure about the stain though, there are a number of threads about this in the past, so perhaps a quick search is in order.

Cheers

Jayson.

[dreadz]

thats the lenght of the boards i got and how many i purchased was 95 to do the job, i have a nail gun i can use as my mate is a roofy whos going to be doing the job but hes a bit of a cowboy,

[UteMad]

Aren't they all cowboys
Screw it down with stainless screws and through the nail gun in the bin....
I haven't used my coil deck gun in ages... Only gets pulled out on bargain basement pine decks the ones where only the cheapest will do... With hardwood don't use a nail gun the nails will lift and the boards will split inside 6 months generally and you still have to predrill the ends and hand nail....If its your own house do it properly it only your time...If you bought 95 @ 3.9m you have 33m2 less waste so it will only take 2 people 4 hours max to screw the boards down once they are mapped and pinned in place.. The nails people are talking about for the coil guns in stainless are by duofast that is paslode... I have had discussions in the past and whilst they say that the nail will do the job there is no promise on performance either deterioration or there holding power thats why we won't use them ...If i know they fail and they don't care or warrant them whats the point... Hopefully the Australian standards will bring in a test similar to queensland and then when they hopefully fail they won't be able to directly market them for decking any more

Sorry forr the rant it's just annoying when you do a proper job only to see the opposition using this junk

cheers Utemad

[rhancock]

Hey, Utemad, Burnsy, are you still out there?

I've got a deck to do over concrete, probably in 90x19 yellow billau on 70x35 treated pine bearers dyna bolted to the concrete. Screws seem to be the way to go, so are these any good: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/DECKING-STAINLESS-STEEL-SCREWS-10g-X-50MM-BOX-1000_W0QQitemZ130160854399QQihZ003QQcategoryZ111522QQcmdZViewItem

[Burnsy]

Hey, Utemad, Burnsy, are you still out there?

I've got a deck to do over concrete, probably in 90x19 yellow billau on 70x35 treated pine bearers dyna bolted to the concrete. Screws seem to be the way to go, so are these any good: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/DECKING-STAINLESS-STEEL-SCREWS-10g-X-50MM-BOX-1000_W0QQitemZ130160854399QQihZ003QQcategoryZ111522QQcmdZViewItem

I rarely screw down into timber, generally only onto C sections. Don't count on the self drilling, for a good finish I would pre-drill every hole through the billau using a clearance bit with countersink, don't predrill the pine. They are around $30 and made in the USA, Snappa brand as I mentioned above.

Oh, in answer to your question, they look OK but looks can be deceiving, best to buy from a reputable supplier in your area.

[pawnhead]

Just to throw another option in, there's various concealed fixing systems as well:
http://www.grabberman.com/Deckmaster/
http://www.dec-klip.com/start.html
http://www.deck-max.com.au/
http://www.woodbymail.com/