Best screws for treated fencing

[davecooper]

Sorry if this is daft question but what are best screws to use on a treated timber fence?
Are galvanised screws ok or should I use stainless. Some people recommend decking screws but these are too long for what I want. The fence will be left natural so I don't want rust streaks appearing down the fence in a couple of years time. Thanks.

 

[JohnD]

I use stainless (coastal area)

Small nails and screws leave rust marks, as you say, and I have found even 8mm BZP studding rusted together and actually snapped where it has been eaten away by rust

What are these screws of yours doing?

 

[Notch7]

Sorry if this is daft question but what are best screws to use on a treated timber fence?
Are galvanised screws ok or should I use stainless. Some people recommend decking screws but these are too long for what I want. The fence will be left natural so I don't want rust streaks appearing down the fence in a couple of years time. Thanks.

Stainless are obviously great for not rusting but you will have real probs with them snapping unless you are really careful and pilot drill everything.

Fencing is not something where you would normally pilot, so you could use normal zinc, then go around removing them, piloting and stick in stainless.

The screwfix turbo ultra are quite good....but they do snap.

It's a nightmare when they snap

 

[JohnD]

I keep two drills to hand, one for the pilot holes and one with a nut driver (use hex-headed coach screws a lot)

But for post-to-post or heavy assembly, e.g. carport frame, I use stainless studding, washers and nuts, because the large sizes in coach bolts are very expensive. You need lube on stainless nuts and bolts or they can seize by cold-welding. You can buy it cut to size.

 

[davecooper]

The screws are for upright spaced slats (100mm x22mm) fixed to horizontals between posts. I am replacing the slats on a short piece of painted fence so that it matches a new fence I have had installed. There are only 20 slats so no great problem piloting all of the holes. I am lucky in that the slats have been screwed and not nailed as it makes the job of replacing them that much easier. However, the new fence has been nailed (nail gun) so happy to nail this one as well (without a gun). What nails should I use if I do?