Just realized I was over-tightening my deck screws for 4 years

I was building a small raised planter bed in my backyard last Saturday and noticed three screw heads had snapped off clean. My buddy who builds decks for a living looked at it and asked why I was using an impact driver on deck screws instead of just a regular drill. Has anyone else made this mistake or am I the only one who thought tighter was always better?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph45523d ago

That "tighter is better" habit cost me a whole weekend redoing a fence once. Deck screws are designed to bite and hold, not cranked down like a lug nut. If you strip the threads or snap the head you're just making more work for yourself later.

king.jordan23d ago

Remember what kind of screwdriver you were using? A worn out Phillips bit will cam out every time and make you think you gotta lean into it harder. That's usually when I snap the head clean off. Ever try drilling out a broken screw flush with the wood? Nightmare.