Raw Products Stainless Steel Square Drive Deck Screw #10 x 2-1/2 Inch

 
Pros: Price.  Quality.  Solid investment.  Sold by quantity vs. weight.  Professional, classy look.
Cons: None
When the time came to live where I desired, my search was limited to well-built homes of recent construction.  Living through the coldest winter in recent memory finds me grateful for the efforts of those who designed and assembled such a strong and comfortable dwelling.
No expense was spared with the passive solar design and heated, suspended concrete floors.  The only exception was the choice of fasteners used to construct the 10 x 26 ft. deck that spans the width of the Chalet-style facade.
 
One of last summer’s projects was to prolong the life of the deck.  For reasons unknown, the 2-1/2 inch Phillips-head screws that fastened the decking were neither exterior nor galvanized.  As a result, rust had set-in, which had bonded the screws to the boards – weakening their structure and making them difficult to remove.
The solution was to take-up all 520-odd board feet of decking.  While disassembled, I tung-oiled every surface – as well as the 2 x 8 inch floor joists, beneath.
An Internet search revealed few affordable options for a stainless steel replacement.  The local Big-Box hardware sold the #10 x 2-1/2 inch square drive deck screws by the pound – some of which I had in inventory.  When I went to buy more, the square drives had been replaced by star drives.  Being a creature of consistency, such an underfoot mismatch just wouldn’t do.
The Amazon.com search engine is good, but not without its quirks.  Hiding beneath a cyber-rock was the listing for Raw Products Square Drive Deck Screw, Type 17 Point 305 Stainless Steel #10 x 2-1/2.  Sold in quantities of 250 for $27.26 (US), their price was significantly lower than the same quantity, sold by the pound, that I had purchased at the start of the job.  The decking would require over a thousand replacement screws – over half of which had already been installed.  Another 500 would definitely wrap it up.

The screws arrived sealed in heavy plastic within a cardboard box.  For convenience, I counted them out and boxed them in quantities of 100 – there were exactly 500 screws enclosed.  In comparison to the screws I already had, they were identical.  Their clean, precision threads and the deep, square inset of the head made installation quick and secure – and their presentation nothing short of elegant – in accord with the deck’s natural finish.
Due to the corrosion of the original screws, a few failed to remove completely without breakage.  The Raw Products Stainless Screws were strong enough to bypass the occasional remnant while being driven-home, without bending or displaying their bugle-flat head at an odd angle.
According to their parent website, fasteners of all description can be purchased by the piece, or in quantities of 25, 100, 250 or 1000.  For more information, use the link below and click-on “Deck Screws” under “Fasteners” in the upper-left side-bar.

With my deck maintenance marathon behind me, I look out tonight and see the stainless steel fasteners, gleaming like jewels by the light of the moon – the successful conclusion to a labor of love, on display.
If I had discovered Raw Products at the start of the project, I’d have saved more than $50.00.  What could be more beautiful than that?
Raw Products Corp.
708 Hartle Street
Sayreville, NJ  08872
Phone orders:  866-573-0445