That tip about pre-drilling deck boards from a guy in Wichita saved me 3 hours

Ran into an old framer at a lumber yard in Wichita who told me to always pre-drill my deck boards even if using screws with a self-drilling tip. I always thought it was a waste of time but tried it on a 400 square foot job last Tuesday. The boards lined up perfect with no splits at the ends. Has anyone else found a simple trick that actually sped up their work?

3 comments

3 Comments

harperp244d agoMost Upvoted

That split end problem is the worst, especially when you're on the last board and it blows out. I had a similar thing happen with a fascia board last summer, ended up having to cut a whole new one because the split ran halfway down the piece. Pre-drilling always felt like one of those "extra steps for beginners" until it actually saved me from that headache. Glad it worked out for you though, little wins like that make the job way smoother.

olivia6703d agoMost Upvoted

I read that a little wax on the screw helps too.

scott.olivia2d ago

Man that split end thing is brutal, I had a 16 foot 2x6 blow out on me once about 4 years ago and I still get mad thinking about it. Pre-drilling seems like such a small step but it makes a huge difference when you're working with treated lumber that loves to crack. Good for you for actually trying it out, a lot of guys just stick with their old way even when something better is staring them in the face. Little tricks like that are what separate a smooth day from a total headache.