…but only 1/100th of the fasteners are actually rated for AC2!?
Both of our Big Boxes around here (Home Depot and Menards) have acres of AC2 wood, but just try to find a box of stainless nails or a set of decent gate hinges AC2 rated. UGH!
(yea, I know…dumb questions…the big boxes just suck, period. ;o)
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Replies
be a homeowner building a deck
-Thoreau's Walden
or be a domeowner building a heckAt length, in the beginning of May, with the help of some of my acquaintances, rather to improve so good an occasion for neighborliness than from any necessity, I set up the frame of my house. No man was ever more honored in the character of his raisers than I. They are destined, I trust, to assist at the raising of loftier structures one day. -Thoreau's Walden
What the heck?
be brandywine. That's my excuse.At length, in the beginning of May, with the help of some of my acquaintances, rather to improve so good an occasion for neighborliness than from any necessity, I set up the frame of my house. No man was ever more honored in the character of his raisers than I. They are destined, I trust, to assist at the raising of loftier structures one day. -Thoreau's Walden
If you want to build a heck, here are a few tips:
I'm not rated for direct ground contact.
I must not be assembled with piffin screws.
I prefer toenails to spikes.
My span rating is 6', on 19.2" center only.
I am not availble at HD.
HDs I walk into got plenty of Hot dipped galv nails
But I guess you specifically looking for stainless.....most HOs wouldn't be
Edited 6/9/2007 11:27 pm by alrightythen
Lots of decks and salt air here, specially on ocean fronts, I use SS whenever possible. SS hangers or Zmax with double galv. fasteners. Maze nails are great, hard to find her so I bulk order and ship em over on the slow boat. Also Copper Borate treated lumber eats nails, streaks and failures are quite common when using electro galv. gun nails. smaller shank dia. and thin coating doesn't last.__________________________
Judo Chop!
Try a real lumberyard. And when you're there try asking for something that is rated for "ACQ" and not "AC2" and you may find a better selection. ;)
Actually, the real lumberyard I visit often had no AC2/Q rated joist hangers at all...seems like everyone is still just going through their backlog of inventory from 3 years ago or something.I even got into a mini-argument trying to explain to the guy that a hanger for double 2x6s isn't the same size as a joist hanger for one 4x6.
The operative word was "real" lumberyard. If you're explaining joist hangers to the guy at the desk.....you weren't there. Maybe I'm lucky where I'm at, but most of the good yards around me are fairly well educated on current practices.View Image
Where are you getting this AC2 from?
The new ACQ lumber is nicknamed ACQ because of the chemicals it contains as a perservative........Alkaline Copper Quaternary.
I know there are different varieties of ACQ..... ACQ-A, ACQ-B, ACQ-C and ACQ-D.... but never heard of AC2.
What does AC2 mean?View Image
I think AC2 is the name brand Menards carries around here.I'm not doing anything complicated...I'm putting up a cedar picket fence (prebuilt panels) using ACQ 4x4 posts, and then adding on a monkey bar set to my kids' swingset (needed a few hangers for that).The big boxes don't appear to carry any nails rated for cedar AND ACQ (My understanding is that if you want to prevent streaking in the cedar, fork out for stainless). Screws were fairly easy to find and will work for attaching the panels, but I don't want to sit and screw every single picket on the parts of the fence I have to hand build.Will hit the local hardware stores today...
common brights will streak.... ( rust) but I never have seen galvanized nails to streak in PT, ACQ, cedar, or other. galvanized nails for ACQ should be "hot dipped" I don't know what the difference is but apparently there is a difference. But they usually are found a plentiful. View Image View Image
The difference is in the thickness of the coating. Electroplating isn't nearly as thick as dipped. Actually, you should try (IIRC) to find fasteners that are marked "double dipped"... which reminds me of a guy that works for me, but that's another story.PaulB
Thanks for the info...I didn't know what the diff was. I did know that they had to be hot dipped or double hot dipped.
View Image View Image
Oh!? So hot-dipped nails should be OK? I know they're rated for ACQ, but thought they'd streak on cedar too. I thought it'd be just easy enough to get stainless.As for AC2, That's all Menards sells, you can see the logo used in their sales flyers:
View Image
Edited 6/10/2007 10:02 pm ET by darrel
AC2 is one of the brand names for ACQ treatment."- Alkaline Copper Quat (ACQ), sold under the trade names Preserve, NatureWood, AC2, and others."http://www.buildernewsmag.com/viewnews.pl?id=32
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Well, how 'bout that! They are buggering up the language! perverted a technical name that every one understands and made a trade brand name of their own from it.That makes some sense except that you will never find hardware rated for AC2! You need to look for it rated for ACQ like Brain said.
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Right. Understood!My main gripe was gate hardware. They must have had 18 different hinch/latch sets, NON of which were stainless or hot dipped. Finally found one set of hot-dipped, but they were rather ugly.
There is stainless gate hardware online if you google. I ran across some awhile back
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I would suggest you install a plank horizontally between the posts at the bottom of the fence with the pickets just above. This will keep the dirt inplace and gives a place to weedwack against. Also saves the base of the pickets from rot.
diesel...I did a search and found a few sites using "AC2" as a term. the following was one of them. they also have a link to info on CCA which lists the official alternatives. AC2 is not listed...perhaps it could be a brand name....but I could not find a brand when I searched. who knows, I never heard it called that before.
http://www.richardsibbes.com/OmahaDecks/Omaha_deck_materials.htm View Image View Image
You must be misunderstanding somebodies pronunciation. The context of you rOP shows you are probably discussing framing lumber treated for exterior use which is called ACQ, but AC is a common term for plywood grading, one side is grade A and the other side is grade C - this woulod be pretty nice plywood for a lot of stuff. CDX is used for sheathing and is fairly rough. The X stands for exterior use. I assume the 2 in your AC2 has some meaning.
As for the hardware Q - be sure to get the Simpson Z-max hangers and use double dipped hot galv nails
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
ALL treated lumber at Menards is marked AC2...just happens that the plywood was the first I saw. This includes decking lumber, fence posts, etc. You all got me curious now, so next time I go in there I'll grab the brochure/literature on the product line.