Hot take: You're probably over-tightening your deck screws

I was helping my neighbor replace his deck boards last weekend in Portland and he was cranking every screw down until it was totally buried. I showed him how the screw heads were already splitting the wood and told him to back off a little. Has anyone else noticed this causing rot later on or am I overthinking it?

2 comments

2 Comments

west.alice17d ago

You know, I used to be one of those people who thought you had to sink every screw head completely flush. Your comment about "already splitting the wood" really hit home for me. I rebuilt my own deck about five years ago and I was so worried about the screws sticking up that I cranked every single one until it was buried deep. Now I'm starting to see some splits and cracks around those spots. I honestly never connected it to rot before, but it makes total sense that driving the screw too deep would let water get in easier. You've changed my mind completely, and I'll definitely be more careful next time.

fisher.diana17d ago

Wait, you actually drove every screw until it was completely buried? I gotta be honest with you @west.alice, that's wild to me. I mean I've made that mistake too, but not on a whole deck. One time I was putting up a shelf and I got so focused on making the screw heads flush that I cracked the whole board in half. That's when I learned the hard way. The part about water getting in easier really makes me think too because I never considered that tiny divot above the screw head could be a little bowl for rain. So I'm right there with you feeling shocked at how much we both ruined good wood without even knowing it.