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Showerthought: I keep seeing folks use regular drywall screws for deck boards
I was helping my neighbor in Tacoma fix his wobbly porch last month, and every single screw head was rusted and popped. He used the cheap screws from a big box store bag. For outdoor stuff, you really need coated or stainless steel screws, or they just fail fast. What's your go-to fastener for a project that gets wet?
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lindaburns6mo ago
Totally agree, saw the same thing on my buddy's shed. He used the wrong screws and now the whole thing looks like it has metal freckles. I just grab the green coated deck screws for anything outside now.
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oliviahenderson6mo ago
Honestly, I've used basic zinc coated deck screws on plenty of outdoor projects and they've held up fine for years. The key is making sure the wood is treated lumber and the screws are actually meant for decks, not just any drywall screw. I find the fancy coated ones can be overkill unless you're right on the coast with salt spray. A lot of failures come from using the wrong type of wood that stays wet, not just the fastener.
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