A deck is a rewarding home addition you make and you need to do it properly to maintain its functionality, firmness, and curb appeal. Building a deck not only adds value but also makes an excellent space to relax and lounge or throw a summer barbecue for the family and friends if they can’t fit inside. Fastening the deck is an important task that should be done properly so that your wooden deck appears attractive to the eye. There are different options you have when fastening the deck including nails, screws, and hidden decking fasteners. When fastening the deck boards, deck installers used wooden deck plugs because:
Are Made of Superior Wood
Not all wood is suitable for making wooden deck plugs, some may break easily and others aren’t hard enough to endure wear and tear and other damaging elements. A decking plug made of hardwood like mahogany, teak, and IPE hardwoods ensures that you have a piece that can withstand footwear, the cleaning, and abrasions. Having side and face grains on the plugs helps repel water thus minimizing the chances of rotting due to moisture penetration on the wood.
Ease of Installation
It is easy to install decking plugs. The plugs are driven in drilled holes on wooden decks, so they need to be shaped and sized properly to ensure they are installed easily. You can have the plugs designed straight on the sides with camfer within the bottom part so that the installer finds it easy to fit them. You can have a plug that takes the same size as the width or diameter of the hole. For example, if the hole you want to fit the plug is 3/8 inches, you can choose a plug that corresponds to that size, that’s a 3/8 inch plug.
Helps Hide Screw Heads
The main reason you use a deck plug is to cover screw or nail heads. Screws are ideal fasters for holding strength when installing a deck. But using screws and nails can leave the heads looking unsightly, and if they loosen up and pull back, they can be a safety hazard. Wooden deck plugs can be used to cover or conceal the screw heads ensuring that you have a smooth decking surface to step and walk on. The plugs are an in-between deck board fastening for a concealed fastener system. Every hole that’s drilled in the decking boards is counter-sunk within the wood. The screw is driven below the deck boards’ surface then the wood plug having the same diameter as the deck hole is drilled and glued inside.
Offer Superior Deck Finish
Because the wooden deck surface can assume different colors, you can match the plugs to the color scheme of the decking surface. When buying the plugs make sure that you select a color finish that resonates to the deck board finish. This way, it will help ensure there are no visible differences between the deck boards and the plugs. It helps ensure you maintain the curb appeal of your deck while hiding the screw fasteners.
Help Prevent Corrosion of Screws
Deck boards should have screws that are corrosion resistant because of the constant exposure to moisture. While you can use stainless steel screws on the deck boards, if you don’t have these, and you use the ones made of other materials susceptible to corrosion, it may present problems. However, wood plugs can help prevent the chances of corrosion. A wooden plug that’s fitted on top of the screws helps prevent corrosion. It covers the outer surface and the screws remain enclosed in the board. This way, your deck boards remain firmly fastened for a long period.
In deck framing, you can use nails and screws. Although nails may appear inferior to screw fasteners, they have other benefits like cost, speed of installation, and shear strength. A deck tends to be subjected to heavy winds that can pull on it when they get beneath. This means that because nails can bend, it helps prevent the decking structure move. For screws, they might break due to such force because they have lower shear strength. Having said that, if you are installing deck boards, then you may want to consider using screws to hold strong. In this case, screws will provide superb retention of your boards while preventing board squeaks that mostly occur with nails. Whether you use nails or screws, you want to ensure that the heads are concealed. This is where deck plugs come in handy.
