Aluminum Hidden Deck Clip Installation

Face Screwed deck installation is preferred over nails because they simply hold better. In addition, you can choose stainless steel screws, which will not stain your beautiful decking. Stainless steel nails are only (easily) available in finish nails because SS nails are too soft to use for most applications.

Hidden Fastener Deck Clips are often chosen by customers who don't want to see the heads of the screws in the face of their deck boards. To use these, the boards must be kerfed (grooved) on the sides so that the clips can be inserted into the boards.

The Ipe Clip Extreme is an effective product made of stainless steel covered with plastic to blend in with the wood color. This ipe clip is installed by driving a screw through the hole in the clip at a 45 degree angle and through the board thereby holding the board from moving as the board shrinks slightly. Most installers find it easier to pre-drill a hole in the board so that they can drive the screw more easily. This pre-drilling to install the ipe clip is an extra step that some prefer to avoid.

Aluminum Deck Clips are durable and hold well but the boards may shift as they shrink because the screws are not driven down through the board. The screws are driven straight down through the clips between the boards.

Using All Weather Sub Floor Adhesive solves this problem. The installation procedure for these aluminum deck clips is shown here.

Run a bead of adhesive down the top of the joists where you are beginning your deck installation. Apply enough to accommodate your first two or three boards.

Install your deck clips along the entire edge of the first board with a clip on each joist. The screw must be run down until the top of the screw is level with the clip. Do not tighten it down because this will tilt the free edge of the clip down thereby preventing you from slipping the 2^nd board into place.

Once you've installed clips on every joist along the edge of the first board, slip the leading edge of the 2^nd board into the clips snuggly.

Now, install the clips into the 2^nd edge of the 2^nd board on every joist making sure that you only drive the screw down until it is level with the clip. Do not screw it down too tightly.

Once this 2^nd clip is installed on the 2^nd board, go back to the nearest clip between the two boards and tighten it down firmly. Now, the clip will press the boards down on the glue and sufficiently seat them permanently.

Repeat this procedure to complete your deck.

A different installation technique must used for the first board edge (often against the house), the last edge (away from the house), the steps and risers because there is no joist to screw into or you cannot access the edge of the board.

Plugs that match your deck species are a very good option but the installation is tedious and they don't leave any option to replace boards later if that need arises.

Hidden Brackets that screw to the the joists and to the under side of deck boards are a good option. They install easily and can be used on these few areas where the deck clips simply don't apply well.

There you go . . . hidden deck fasteners.

More information is available about best choice fasteners at BWDepot.com.

Courtesy Brazilian Wood Depot.

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Deck Board Thickness And Strength

The Ideal Deck Board Thickness depends on the hardness and bending strength of the material. Pressure treated (PT) pine and cypress, composite and redwood are readily available in 5/4 x 6” boards because this is the thickness needed for building strong decks with joists that are 16” apart – on center (O.C), an industry standard. Cedar is available in 5/4 x 6 and also 2 x 6 boards. Cedar is quite a bit softer than the others mentioned. So some folks want a thicker board. None of these boards are purchased in 1 x 6 dimensions as deck boards because they simply would not be firm enough to build a deck the doesn’t flex.

Brazilian Deck Boards, on the other hand, are most often sold in 1 x 6 dimensions. Brazilian deck boards are six to ten times harder than cedar and three to four times harder the PT and composite material. So, it is understandable that Brazilian ipe decking boards are much firmer than any other commonly available deck material even when they are 75% as thick as most other deck boards. Folks first comparing the attributes of Brazilian ipe decking boards to other materials available often price 5/4 x 6 lumber but this is not a good performance comparison. 1 x 6 Brazilian ipe decking boards are firmer, last longer and build a stronger deck than every other commonly used deck material. A lumber importer that is commonly asked about this comparison made this video, which clearly depicts the strength comparison between Brazilian ipe decking 5/4 and 4/4 thick boards.  His conclusion from this study is that the difference in deflection between a 1 x 6 deck board and a 5/4 x 6 board is only 1 mm or 1/24^th”. This is a 300 pound man standing on only ONE board. Because of the size of his footprint, this man would normally be standing on at least two boards. This minor deflection emphasizes the fact that 1 x 6 dimensions for Brazilian ipe decking boards is ample.

Joist Spans can be adjusted to add more strength and reduce flex on a deck. Adding a few extra joists to make the joist spans 12” rather than 16” adds quite a bit of strength and firmness to a deck – MUCH more than using 5/4 x 6 boards. Adding more joists also costs a lot less money than paying for thicker Brazilian ipe decking boards. Adding joists to make smaller joist spans does NOT make all decks firmer. Composite decking material manufactured with plastic and no wood fillers sags between the joists over time no matter how close the joist spans are. The sag is reduced but they still sag. Reducing joist spans for PT and cedar decks will improve the firmness of the deck but will not increase the life of the decking, which is the weaker attribute.

More comparisons at CompositeDecking.ME

Courtesy Brazilian Wood Depot