Saving time without comprising the quality of your work or materials used are just a few of the key standouts of Buildex’s Self-Drilling Decking Screws.
It does not matter how much time you can save during the installation process if you aren’t delivering top quality work and materials to your clients. But after watching Nathan Lawler and the team from Impact Pools and Landscapes complete a decking job with the Buildex Self-Drilling Decking Screws. The quality spoke for itself with a stunning low profile clean non-split finish. Even on the butt joints, there was zero splitting, and to further test out the non-split system, Nathan placed a test screw right on the very edge of a Merbau offcut. This went in easily with zero splitting, and even several days after fixing the decking boards there was zero splitting.
Test 1. Speed and usability
There is no denying the time savings and speed of a decking system that removes the need for pre-drilling and pre-countersinking. Not to mention the dollars saved buying smart tools. It does change the approach of how you would typically build a deck, but once you adapt to this slightly different method of setting out and fixing, you will be flying once the requirement of pre-drilling has been removed. When chatting with Nathan about the time saved, he said, “Using this system from Buildex it is safe to say it has reduced our time by at least 25-35 per cent. On future projects, we would project it will be more likely to increase to 40-50 per cent time saved. Not having to pre-drill and pre-countersink is huge, and now we have had a chance to get use to the decking screws and how well they grab and hold; we are moving even faster. Also, the fact that I’m only carrying one impact driver means I have less weight on my belt.”
From the very first screw, you will notice the Quick Drive point allows for excellent positioning, and unlike other screws that self-drill and countersink, the low profile of the screws bite and engage very quickly into the decking boards and penetrates approximately 50 per cent of the deck board before the thread engages.
Part of the non-splitting features is due to the “Super Thread”, which helps draw out the timber fibres to clean the hole. The 10G decking screws drove exceptionally well through the Merbau and secured the boards very efficiently.
The trim head looks very stylish, and the client loved the clean flush appearance. Another bonus is the trim head minimises the pressure on the board when embedding.
The screws use a T20 Star Drive, which did an excellent job at driving the screws into place while reducing cam outs.
Test 2. The look and finish
There is nothing like the look of a freshly laid deck when low-profile Stainless-Steel decking screws have been used in hardwood. The Buildex Self-Drilling Decking Screws provide a much cleaner and stylish look than a traditional decking screw. They allow the butt joints and end fixing to remain very clean and tight. The Stainless 304 screws look great and accommodate deck board movement while providing corrosion resistance.
The wrap-up
Looking at the job, Nathan shared, “Given that the screws look excellent, and the quality of the product is excellent, the fact that you will save a pile of time through removing the need to pre-drill and countersink is the icing on the cake. We are creatures of habit, but these Buildex screws are well worth using again on our future decking projects.”