Use a good quality plated screw on exposed decking

 To ensure that your deck has a long, trouble free life, it's important to use the right fixings used to fix the planks to the bearers. This choice can be influenced not only by the prevailing climatic conditions, the proximity to marine environments, but also the actual wood used. As your deck will around for a long time, it's best not to compromise too much on the fixings as the higher cost of better quality products will be repaid many times over with a longer service life and better looking deck.

Normally, standard iron nails should not be used on external decking as they can rapidly corrode in certain climatic conditions or close to marine environments and not only leave black stains around the nail holes, but can eventually corrode so extensively that they will simply snap. Remember that all wood will twist and warp to some extent so its important that wood planks are firmly fixed to the bearers at regular spaced intervals to keep the timber from moving. If you wish to use nails, then you should use a good quality galvanized nail, recommended for exterior decking. Note that some species of lumber - in particular, Western Red Cedar, Merbau and Redwood - contain tannins that can cause corrosion to occur more rapidly than with other species of lumber.

If using screws to fasten the decking planks to the bearers, then again you shouldn't use standard steel screws, but either stainless steel or good quality plated screws. But there are many different methods of plating screws and some of the cheaper products may look great in the packet when they're purchased but not so pretty after a few years of use. Plating may be only superficial at best and in the process of fixing screws into the plank, the plating can be damaged which allows corrosion to start from day 1. So it's important that you use a good quality plated screw and is specifically recommended for use on exposed decking.