Dear James: I have built a few decks and used nails, but they eventually get loose, pop up and look terrible. For my next deck project, would using more expensive screws be better? — Tony H.

Dear Tony: Nailing the decking down is the fastest and least expensive method, but as you found out, the nails do not hold together as long as you would like. Especially when reattaching old decking where nails have come loose, using decking screws in the old holes is the best way to repair the deck.

Today, pressure-treated decking planks have a higher copper content because they cannot use unhealthy arsenic-containing chemicals as preservatives. Don't ever burn old pressure-treated lumber in your fireplace because it may emit arsenic particles into the room air.

Newer and safer wood preservatives, such as alkaline copper quaternary and copper azole, contain far more copper than discontinued chromated copper arsenate . This higher copper content causes the old-fashioned deck fasteners to corrode faster. This looks bad and allows them to work their way out of the wood.

In order to properly do the deck, or any other outdoor project with pressure-treated lumber, plan on spending a considerable amount of money on the fasteners alone. If you are building a 20-by-40-foot deck, about 3,000 fasteners will be needed for the entire project. Hot-dipped galvanized nails cost about 1 to 2 cents each. Galvanized nails are not approved by all building inspectors.

The next step up is stainless steel nails. These are extremely durable, and the wood preservative materials will not attack stainless steel. The cost for these nails is about 5 cents each, so plan on spending about $150 to do a large deck. Look for nails with a spiral- or ring-shank because they have better gripping strength in the wood.

For the best-looking, strongest and longest-lasting deck, use special decking screws. These are available in stainless steel or steel with a composite coating to resist corrosion. Self-tapping screws have an auger tip to cut through the wood as they turn. Look for trade names such as Woodpecker, Razorback and SplitStop. The prices range from about 9 to 13 cents per screw.

Another screw option uses a design in which the thread pattern changes along the length of the screw to improve gripping force. The ones with a composite coating are available in several common colors to match the wood. If you are going to use synthetic decking, these screws have an undercut head so they minimize mushrooming around the head.

A unique type of decking screw is very long and made so the head can be snapped off once the screw is driven into the wood. The advantage of this type of screw is that the hole in the wood is very small (no head). Over time, the wood can expand enough to totally close up over the hole.

Since you will be driving thousands of screws, the type of head impacts the ease of driving them. A square-hole head screw is one of the easiest to securely drive into the wood. Most can also be purchased with a star socket if you prefer this. Combination square/Philips heads are also available.

Send your questions to Here's How, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244, or visit www.dulley.com. To find out more about James Dulley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: jameswheeler at Pixabay