Experienced Deck Builders?

[EddieWalker]

Those screws are made for composite decking.

Quote from the link provided. "Make the most of your of your outdoor project with Deckmate brand exterior screws. Designed for use with all treated lumber and all exterior projects to connect wood to wood. A lifetime polymer coating provides extra corrosion resistance that is guaranteed for the life of your outdoor project."

 

[crazyal]

Don't go cheap with screws. Stainless is the only option. I made the mistake of using those ceramic coated screws on my entryway. It was around 2012, two years before I built my Tigerwood main deck. The summer after (3 years after building it) I removed the deck so I could make it larger and with Tigerwood decking. Since I wasn't too worried about longevity I used a combination of stainless and "new" decking screws. The stainless just needed to have the dirt removed from the head while every one of the ceramic screws were rusted. Most rusted to the point where they were about half the diameter they started off at and broke. With stainless you just need to understand that you can't overdrive them (or they will snap) and you must have a good bit to drive them in or you will strip the head.

 

[dalola]

Can't do much but plan the project right now....all this crappy wet/snowy weather.....

Getting my tool list together, I did realize I was in need of a new 48" level, as my old 2 footer somehow sprung a leak, and was probably too small anyway. (good excuse to buy a tool...)

So, after doing some level research, settled in on an Empire e55. Still made in USA, lifetime guarantee, and affordable (~$30). Haven't used it yet, but happy with the quality & feel of it.

Hope to start rounding up materials soon!

Empire Level - Built On trust

 

[Ron of Va]

Can't do much but plan the project right now....all this crappy wet/snowy weather.....

Getting my tool list together, I did realize I was in need of a new 48" level, as my old 2 footer somehow sprung a leak, and was probably too small anyway. (good excuse to buy a tool...)

So, after doing some level research, settled in on an Empire e55. Still made in USA, lifetime guarantee, and affordable (~$30). Haven't used it yet, but happy with the quality & feel of it.

Hope to start rounding up materials soon!

Empire Level - Built On trust

Dalola,
When shopping for a level I would prefer to buy in a brick and mortar store. You want a level that is dead on. In the store you can check for accuracy. Some levels in the rack are not perfect.

To check; Find a flat spot that appears to be level, and take a reading. Then turn the level 180 degrees and place it in the Exact same spot. If the bubble is not in the exact spot in the vial, the level is not true. You are not checking the bubble, you are checking the marks on the vial.

 

[EddieWalker]

To check; Find a flat spot that appears to be level, and take a reading. Then turn the level 180 degrees and place it in the Exact same spot. If the bubble is not in the exact spot in the vial, the level is not true. You are not checking the bubble, you are checking the marks on the vial.

This is what I do when buying a new level. It's kind of shocking how many of them wont give you the same reading when you flip them around 180 degrees.

My favorite levels are Bostitch that I bought at Home Depot. But for some unknown reason, they are no longer sold there.

One of my most frustrating things with stores is when they have a really good brand, and then they get rid of it and start stocking a junk brand.

 

[dalola]

Dalola,
When shopping for a level I would prefer to buy in a brick and mortar store. You want a level that is dead on. In the store you can check for accuracy. Some levels in the rack are not perfect.

To check; Find a flat spot that appears to be level, and take a reading. Then turn the level 180 degrees and place it in the Exact same spot. If the bubble is not in the exact spot in the vial, the level is not true. You are not checking the bubble, you are checking the marks on the vial.

Yep, bought it at Home Cheapo. First one I grabbed was spot-on. Did find out their storage rack upright wasn't plum....

 

[s219]

One of my most frustrating things with stores is when they have a really good brand, and then they get rid of it and start stocking a junk brand.

I see that all the time at Lowes and HD. It's especially frustrating with some building materials -- if you want to match up something, install another of something a few years later, replace a part, or add an option to what you already bought, it's a gamble whether they'll still carry that brand or item anymore. Been burnt by that so many times I stopped having any expectation of future continuity with those purchases.

I remember years ago putting in a storm door from Lowes. Within a year or so I needed to replace the lockset that broke. Well it was a custom lockset very specific to that storm door and they no longer carried the brand, nor could I find it anywhere else. I told my wife I'd replace it with a rope rather than get a whole new door. I ended up rigging up a fix that sort of worked, but was annoyed I couldn't get a new part. I've had that happen with other stuff too, including plumbing and lighting. They just don't stick with the same suppliers for very long.

 

[ultrarunner]

Same here with a Lockset... finally tracked it down and made in China... $120 plus shipping.

Also, did a patio cover for my Grandmother and a few years later there were 100 mph gusts that damage two of the panels... have not been about to buy replacements... no longer carried.

Tracked down the manufacture and I would need to buy a case and have trucked shipped... it was cheaper to buy all new.

 

[tjkubota93]

Same here with a Lockset... finally tracked it down and made in China... $120 plus shipping.

Also, did a patio cover for my Grandmother and a few years later there were 100 mph gusts that damage two of the panels... have not been about to buy replacements... no longer carried.

Tracked down the manufacture and I would need to buy a case and have trucked shipped... it was cheaper to buy all new.

Stuff like that irks me bad. But I guess places are accommodating our throw away society.

I CAN'T STAND owning something you can't get parts for. I try to always buy common things.

I repainted our storm door and was able to adapt a new lockset from lowes using a die grinder and a carbide burr.

 

[dalola]

Ha, just realized I never updated this old thread, once I finally did get around to building the deck!

Very happy with the result, got it knocked out in a day....and it's even level! Nice small deck to watch the sun set over the next ridge. Will stain & seal once the wood dries out, latter this summer.