Roofing Scew Instead Of Nail

At one time nails were preferred over screws because it was much easier and faster to hammer in nails than to use a manual screwdriver or spiral ratcheting screwdriver e g.

Roofing scew instead of nail.

When to use each fastener understand the pros and cons of these popular fasteners so you ll pick the right ones for all your home improvement and woodworking projects. Part of the reason construction contractors use nails is that they are significantly cheaper to use than screws. Roe osborn a senior editor at jlc responds. The use of roofing nails as structural attachments for joist hangers is not uncommon however it should be avoided.

When using nails or screws for construction my preference is hot dipped galvanized spiral nails or acq rated deck screws. It s true that screws have a highly effective withdrawal resistance which makes them excellent fasteners for tasks such as avoiding squeaks. Let me caution you a decent sized roof that is screwed down rather than nailed down will take 20 times longer to do than with a nail gun. There is a common misconception in the building industry that screws always outperform nails when attaching wood to wood.

Drive 10 nails or 10 screws who cares. Roofing nails are not made to withstand the structural forces that are required for joist hanger connectors. Any other type of fastener would tear through the shingles as they are applied. This means you have saved 30 000 seconds.

30 000 seconds is 8 3 man hours of work a man day. Less concern about rusting out and they hammer or drive in easier. If like me you use predrilled holes with the head counterbored and thus three differant size drill bits plan on each rafter taking a couple of days frenchy counterbored screw holes on roof sheathing. The cost of the nails vs screws in construction is an entirely different story.

Instead of using standard deck screws to install hangers consider using specialty screws. According to home depot a five pound box of 8 penny nails which are approximately 2 5 inches long is 12. Leaving the shingles free to blow off the roof during the next wind storm. We use atleast 2 1 4 to 2 1 2 screws to put down 1 2 inch plywood or osb but most of the time we use 2 3 8 coated coil nails also known as 8 s for hand nailing.

Can screws be used instead of nails for attaching wall sheathing to framing. The reason is simple roofing nails have an oversized head which gives them much greater holding power than a regular nail or screw. On asphalt shingles you want to use roofing nails. Save 3 seconds per nail compared to a screw.

A nail gun will drive a nail as fast as you can move the gun into place and slap it against the wood.