Old timer at the lumber yard told me to stop using drywall screws for every damn thing

Ran into this guy at the 84 Lumber in Portland last Tuesday. He watched me grab a box of drywall screws for a deck repair and just shook his head. Told me they're brittle and will snap off in a year with weather changes. Said I need coated deck screws with a sharper thread for outdoor work. Has anyone else had a screw failure on a job because of the wrong fastener choice?

3 comments

3 Comments

jana_davis901mo ago

Is it just me or does this apply to so many things in life now? Like we've all got this habit of grabbing the quick fix or the cheapest option without thinking about what it's actually made for. @nathan851 nailed it with the whole bending vs snapping thing, that's such a good way to put it. Reminds me of how people use zip ties for everything when a clamp would last decades longer, just because it's faster. The old timer gave you real wisdom there, not just about screws but about slowing down and matching the tool to the job.

nathan8511mo ago

That old timer did you a solid. Drywall screws are made of hardened steel that's way too brittle for anything structural, especially outdoors where wood expands and contracts. Had a buddy build a garden bench with them last year and the heads just snapped off when the wood moved with spring rain. Deck screws are softer but tougher, they bend instead of snapping. Saved you a headache and probably a trip back to the store later.

parkerkim1mo ago

My uncle did the same thing on a deck he built back in 2015 and those heads popped off within a year. And nathan851 is right about deck screws just bending instead of snapping, that's what actually holds things together.