Hidden Deck Fasteners

[greenugly]

I just read the article on hidden deck fasteners. Unfortunatelty the article was written before our hidden fastener became popular. I work for MIld Fence in Kalispell, Montana. We have developed a hidden fastener made especially for composite decking. I would appreciate any feedback from builders or homeowners who have used them. Our fastener is called the Aphano fastener and it can be seen at www.aphanofasteners.com

[Bob Bulick]

why we have such dumass post jamb up and retard great value this forum jeese lauise

[A.V. Decks]

In the few times I used different hidden fasteners, I like the ones that pierce the deck board vs the ones that screw straight down into the joist. The latter of the two may hold the deck board down to the joist but it will still allow side to side movement. 1 1/2" to either side and you have a deck board not on the joist.

Some clips have an angled screw hole which will pierce the side of the board preventing this side to side movement.

For the most part tho, my clients choose the Floorizon deck boards which offers a fastener free surface and has its own hidden fastening system built right into the board saving money by eliminating the need for hidden clips and the time it takes to install them. By far my favorite choice.

Another way to conceal fasteners is to glue the boards to the joist with the proper adhesive and finish nail the boards down. This was considered a viable application by the manufacturer of the flooring I was using. I have only done this once as I am still waiting out the time frame I set to determine if Ill accept this method as OK.
Its been a year and a half and there are no defects, loose boards, or any other issues with this application. It went down fast but it did get a lil messy when stepping, sitting, or just outright sticking your hand in the glue, but not being used to using glue here was foreign and mistakes were made. That glue is still on my pants pocket from over a yr ago where I sat on the joist and in the glue. Geesh.
The finish nail holes are all but invisible now due to dirt and debris filling the holes over time.

If in 6 months, which will be 2yrs, there are no real problems with this type of application I may use it more often.