Experience with Grabber Deckmaster???
buildboy
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
Anyone have any experience with Grabber Deckmaster hidden decking fasteners? I have access from below, and I like the idea of not having to biscuit each plank as with some of the other types. This will be a 5/4×6 Ipe plank deck. My only real concern is that screwed from below, planks may cup and pull-out over time? Is this likely or am I just worrying for nothing? Thanks in advance.
Replies
I used Grabber's on my Mangaris (Honduran mahogany) deck about three seasons back.
No cupping and looks great. Easy to install.
the whole idea of using biscuits just seems like a good way to introduce water into the boards.
-steve
I'm completing a 550 square foot deck using the deckmaster hidden fastner system with composite deckboards and it looks great! Those brackets are not cheap but I love the look! Since I used composite, I was able to use full length boards for the whole project (i.e. no seams). In addition, I picture framed the whole thing to hide end grain. I would defnitely recommend this system.
I've used them and they worked great! I love the look of no exposed fasteners. I'll definitely use them again.
Although there was one guy who posted in a similar thread a couple of weeks ago that he had some problems with them a year later. You might want to search for that thread and investigate. I believe it had "hidden fasteners" in the title.
I bidding a job for a deck using Brazilian Redwood and I have to bid it using the Deck Master. How much more time would you say it took labor wise to install the decking using this system. Would you say it took twice as long as just screwing a deck in from the top, or a little longer?Joe Carola
Joe, Yeah, it took me just about exactly twice as long. But I was all by myself. I think that if you had at least one other guy- one on top and one down below screwing, it would take considerably less time. However the actual man-hours used would be awash.
Mark,Thanks Mark. You know what I forgot to mention was that the deck is only about 21" off the ground.......;-(Joe Carola
Edited 7/16/2005 12:12 pm ET by Framer
Joe,
Perhaps you could find a hobbit to do the screwing from underneath part. That kid who Played Frodo in the movies is from here. I have a friend who used to act with him in community theatre, I'll see what I can do.. :-)
Niel, Thanks for the caveat. I think your's is the post I was referring to earlier. I'm hoping that your experience is mainly a result of the wood shrinkage and (hopefully) Since I used Trex, I won't have the same problems (knock on composite).
Any problem w/ screws stripping out?
Trex is some pretty soft stuff.A C# E G B A G E D C A (!)
Actually no. That was a concern that I had at first, but the screws they sent have a pretty aggressive thread.
Deckmaster works great, looks great, just takes a little more time. Potential problem w/ ipe is its density. It requires predrilling (at least by me). Predrilling at an angle through a larger hole and centering your bit on the ipe could prove problematic, i.e., the screw will go in fine but pull the board off your line. No experience with that problem, just seeing the potential.
It looks like I'm in the minority here, but I strongly recommend against them. I did a deck in mahogany as well. Northeast climate. Within a year or so, the decking had shrunk, pulling away from the fastener and the boards started pulling up. By screwing from underneath, you don't capture the board between the screw head and the top of the joist. At most you have about an inch of thread in the decking to hold it in place. After a time, the homeowner, who had insisted on the deckmaster, found himself drilling screwing from thw top, counterboring and plugging all of the holes. I wont go as far as endorsing another method as I have no other experience. But thats my 2 cents.
Neil