Secret nailing clips for decking

[billbeee]

I nearly stuck my nose into the "screw or nail" thread but all I would have said was use gal nails which seemed to be the consensus.

It got me thinking though about some things I saw a few years ago for secret nailing decking.
Like a galv clip that has a spike either side that bites into the edge of the board, a thin plate nails to the side of the joist holding it all down.
Anybody remember them? Were they any good?

Cheers
Bill.

[journeyman Mick]

Bill,
I used them on a couple of jobs, excellent system and it raises the boards off the joists by a mm or so, so no moisture retained there. I doubt I would use them again for a job as they were painfully slow, but I'll probably use them on m y own deck when I get around to building it. From memory they were called decktights.

Mick

[pharmaboy2]

Hiya, have used them, theyu were called dekloks or something - the ones I used came in a yellow bucket and nailed side of joist. firstly dont even think of using them on air dried timber nor treated pine.

second tip - if u use them, dunk em in a bucket of black paint so the gal can be seen easy - sort of defeats the purpose when with no connections you can see the big arsed clip between.

They take a very long time to put in - a one day deck is a 3 or 4 day deck!

now, would I do it again....., probably not - and just to shock mic , I'd probably use a finishing gun with ss nails - i've used a finishing gun before illadvisingly using gal, and the hold was fine - the rust was not! ;D live and learn....

[billbeee]

Thanks guys.

[UteMad]

and just to shock mic , I'd probably use a finishing gun with ss nails - i've used a finishing gun before illadvisingly using gal, and the hold was fine - the rust was not! ;D live and learn....

Buy this do i take it you mean A S/S coil gun with either ring dome or screw dome nails and not S/S ND's or T nails i hope?

I have probably put a couple of hundred thoussand of the rgd 50's and s/s nails in with a duofast coil nailer... They are fine for treated decks but not so flash in hardwood decking as they split the boards more often than not and don't have the holding power to keep a hardwood board under control.. The gal rgd 50 flat heads as you said have a tendancy to rust on the head surface as the gal is damaged when the piston driver hits the nail... If you want to use gal go the dome heads the contact patch is smaller and less likely to do it... If you make inquiries as i did with paslode whilst they infur usage for decking they don't offer any support with boards popping or nails corroding so your basically on your own once you buy them... We only use them for pine decks for customers who want to keep costs to a minimum and use S/S screws for all else ....

The deck clips are one of those little inventions i see will pretty much stay on the shop shelf other than for DIY's and landscapers who want to do something different ... The labour cost means your wasting your time trying to sell it to the general deck buying public they wont see any value in it (if there is any)
I personally don't like them at all... They come from the states mostly who have different timbers and climates to Aust. .....Our boards move in the climate we have and even more so when the coatings wear down and the board absorbs moisture ...... Fitting these clips deletes the movement you get by leaving a 3mm gap between boards as it fills in between 2 boards meaning they are now connected and unable to swell and contract freely .......


My 2 Cents as usual


cheers utemad