Screws Vs Nails - China

It' s one of the age- old carpentry questions: when to use screws? When

to use nails? And sometimes there' s no consensus.

Is there a case where nails are better than screws, from a structural standpoint? For instance: Say you used screws instead of nails on a backyard deck, when the design specifically called for nails.

Would the result be inferior? Could it fail inspection? Would nails absolutely be preferable in this instance? Are there any rules of thumb about when to use screws vs.

nails?

Screws are a ' superior' fastener over a nail ( they have far superior tensile strength) —especially if you' re talking about screwing down decking.

However there are many scenarios where a nail is the proper fastener for the application ( attaching joists is one example—screws are brittle and will fail when subjected to the forces of a shear loaded application) .

Using your deck example—you should use nails to attach the joists to the deck framing but use screws to fasten down the decking itself.

Nails are used in almost all framing and structural applications.

Most code books are designed with nails in mind and will have specific minimum nailing requirements and patterns for different applications.

Structural screws are coming more and more on the market every day, but because most code books don' t include them you will need an engineer' s approval of their use to pass inspection in many cases.

If you want to use structural screws without paying the big $$ for an engineer you should talk with your municipal build dept.

first to see if they will allow it.

Your normal wood screws are not structural.

Standard screws are brittle.

If you take a normal screw and drive it part way in and whack it with a hammer, it will snap.

If you do this with a nail, the nail will bend.

Which would you rather have holding your deck up? Something that bends but stays intact or something that can snap?

In the end: nails, hex bolts, and lag bolts are still better in most applications.

Structural screws are just easier than bolting and cooler than nailing.

Company Contact:

• Posted By: Qingdao KRS Perfect Roof Co., Ltd.

• Phone: 008653258725916

• Address: No. 139 Fuzhoubei Road, qingdao , Shandong , China

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