opinions - nails or screws?

Serious question

I understand why historically pin nails etc were used to hide the heads, but that required some after work. Is there any reason to use them now with no more nails type products available that have the same effect but require no remedial work?
I mean when I have had to remove a hidden nail attached item its always been badly damaged afterwards as you need to literally prize it off.
 
People still use nails to fix architraves in place to get the mitres nice and tight. Its not much effort at all to put a bit of filler into the tiny holes before painting.

Also, I'd imagine removing them with no more nails used would create a lot more damage to the door casing or plaster if its a dado rail or whatever.
 
A lot of the times tho walls etc arnt plumb, so if say fixing architrave you would use something like sticks like **** to stick it back then put a few pins in, as If you were to leave it just with the adhesive on the back, it would have a tendency to spring away from the wall or the mitre move etc. Yes tho a lot of jobs can be done with sticks like **** grab type adhesives. (skirting for example).

Please fully star out all swearing in future. Thank you.
 
People should stop screwing around in this thread. However, some have already hit the nail on the head.

...I'll get my coat. :(
 
I thought you guys were using colloquialisms - you mean there really is a product called that? :o

It may be a real product but please don't go linking to it. Thank you.
 
The problem I've found with screws used externally that 'ease of removal' is probably the last way I'd describe them after a period of time. The most annoying example - I installed my decking last May with a mixture of standard Wickes decking screws and some more expensive 'Turbogold' from Screwfix with 'double hardened core'. I recently needed to remove a part of the decking less than a year later and I would say that around 30% of the screws have sheared when I tried to undo them meaning that half of the thread is still left making it almost impossible to remove that bit of the decking without completely destroying it. I mean the actual shaft has sheared by the way not the head rounding off.
 
Em3bbs said:
The problem I've found with screws used externally that 'ease of removal' is probably the last way I'd describe them after a period of time. The most annoying example - I installed my decking last May with a mixture of standard Wickes decking screws and some more expensive 'Turbogold' from Screwfix with 'double hardened core'. I recently needed to remove a part of the decking less than a year later and I would say that around 30% of the screws have sheared when I tried to undo them meaning that half of the thread is still left making it almost impossible to remove that bit of the decking without completely destroying it. I mean the actual shaft has sheared by the way not the head rounding off.
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probably movement in the whole structure placing massive stresses on the screws.

When I did similar I created oversize holes through the decks so the screws were holding them down not actually engaged with the deck via the thread. The thread was into the main supports only. This way if you suffer the failure you describe you can still lift off the deck after removing/breaking all the screws and break off/remove the remainder of the screws.
 
robskinner said:
probably movement in the whole structure placing massive stresses on the screws.

When I did similar I created oversize holes through the decks so the screws were holding them down not actually engaged with the deck via the thread. The thread was into the main supports only. This way if you suffer the failure you describe you can still lift off the deck after removing/breaking all the screws and break off/remove the remainder of the screws.
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Sounds like a good idea, although I'd be a bit worried about water ingress in the oversized holes - I guess if you treat it well enough it shouldn't be a problem though.

However it would have led to a massive increase in build time - replacing this decking board sounds easier. ;)
 
Em3bbs said:
Sounds like a good idea, although I'd be a bit worried about water ingress in the oversized holes - I guess if you treat it well enough it shouldn't be a problem though.

However it would have led to a massive increase in build time - replacing this decking board sounds easier. ;)
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Yeah did take a long time, although you can drill through 3-4 boards together if you have a decent length bit and the actual screwing down is a lot faster as you have a lot less resistance due to less thread being engaged with the wood.

I had a terrible time with an old shed that had been screwed together and suffered broken and virtually headless screws so came up with that solution.

Those black Japanned screws or stainless seem to suffer much less fatigue.
 
Those turbo screws are crud. We got some a few years ago and they just went blunt immediately after hitting steel in the PVC windows we bought them for. Their cheaper gold screws are much better. Or any yellow passivated chipboard screw would be better. I think they are just a gimmick tbh.

Saying that I don't know if chipboard screws would be the right thing to use for decking either. The heads can snap off quite easily. The pressure treatment can corrode steel, I don't know if the coating on turbo/chipboard screws is sufficient as most decking screws have a green coating on them or are stainless.

PhillyDee said:
I would not screw a shed together. Or if you do, use nails as well.

Otherwise the theiving scum could just dismantle it.
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I screwed mine together from the inside. Well I put 2 125mm timberfix bolts into the pre drilled holes on the outside, then put extra 100x6 screws on the inside and screwed the roof together with them.
 
Cosmic182 said:
People saying you cant screw roofing tiles? what? Of course you can, and you do the majority of times, unless your doing a slate roof then you use copper nails.
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Thanks, I've learnt something new. Although I was actually thinking of slate roofing where for all the times I've seen it has been nailed down - I don't think they were always copper nails though.
 
My understanding is that screws and nails are for different things. There is a fairly large crossover... but you would use screws where it's daft to use nails and nails where it's daft to use screws.
 
i use mostly 90% screws in all the jobs i do. Most of the time it's just easier to use screws over nails. Easier but slower i might add. Nails are mainly used by trades for doing the job quick and cheap. For example a sparky or plumber would fasten floorboards down with nails. Big no no in my eyes. If you've ever got to get them back up, it's 4 times harder to do so compared to if they would have used screws.
 
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Historically I think nails were used a lot more than screws where as screws seem to be the main use now.
Older houses see to have pretty much everything nailed thats constructional and "permanent" rather than fitted (i mean stuff like plasterboard, floorboards etc)

Modern houses seem to have much more screw based fittings. I suspect its more to do with power tools than anything else. 30+ years ago you had a choice on manual devices predominantly and its much easier to wack in a nail than screw in a screw. I am trying to think what the screwdrivers were called, yankees I think.
 
It depends on materials too Rob. Plasterboard for example is well suited to countersunk screws, not suited to nails. Pine on the other hand is suited to nails, not to screws.
 
The Halk said:
It depends on materials too Rob. Plasterboard for example is well suited to countersunk screws, not suited to nails. Pine on the other hand is suited to nails, not to screws.
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Im sure.

I still think power tools have changed the landscape, but for sure some materials vastly suit one over the other.

I mean probably 9/10 houses have a powered screwdriver, how many have a nail gun?
 
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