I just found out that the 60 ft cedar fence installed several years ago used 1 1/2" 16 ga Galvanized Nails/Brads to attach the 1/2" cedar boards to the frame.. I have noticed that several of the boards have started to come loose and require reattaching. What to use is the question?? either (1) 8x1 5/8" colored Deck Plus Screws or (2) a better nailing system using pneumatic nail gun with ??? nails or (3) ?? What to make sure things don't get worse as time goes on.. Looking for advise or suggestions as local Home stores have ho clue.. Thank you
-
-
Smooth-shank 16ga nails are the likely culprit — they have very little holding power in a soft wood like cedar, and once the wood cycles through a few wet/dry seasons the nail holes loosen up and the boards start walking out, which is exactly what you're seeing.
For reattaching, I'd go with stainless steel deck screws — something like a #8 x 1-5/8" or 2" square/star-drive exterior screw. A couple of reasons to specifically pick stainless over standard galvanized or "colored" coated screws: cedar's natural tannins and acids react with lower-grade coatings over time and can cause black streaking around the fastener. Stainless (304 is fine for most climates, 316 if you're near saltwater) avoids that entirely and will outlast the fence.
Screws also just plain hold better than nails in this application — the threads resist the board trying to pull straight out, which is your actual problem. Pre-drill near the ends of the boards before driving, since 1/2" cedar splits easily. If you want to stick with a nail gun for speed, ring-shank (annular ring) galvanized nails hold noticeably better than smooth ones, but they still won't outperform screws for boards that are already working loose.
Comment