We're not easily impressed with hidden decking systems. While they offer a really excellent finished product, many of the systems require clips and extra work that causes the job to take longer, involve more training and generally increase your costs to deliver the finished product. With the CAMO Hidden Deck Fastening System, however, our concept of what was possible with hidden deck fastening systems was redefined. The CAMO system, which uses a Marksman or Marksman Pro installation tool, eliminates the need for clips and routing or cutting the edges of the board, and simplifies the method of deck board installation. In a nutshell, they devised a method to fasten the boards by driving screws at an angle along the board's edge - directly into the joist. In this way, the boards are secured and the entire process is simplified. In short - it's fast, and it's impressive.
We ran into Kirk Conville of Prest-on while walking around the International Builders Show. As soon as I saw their booth, where they were demoing (live) their Insta-back Drywall Fastener products, I was captured. Little did Kirk know that I had a project that perfectly matched his solution. You see, I had just installed a television mount overtop a fireplace - and I had done it incorrectly. As a result, I needed to make a drywall patch - and one that I had been dreading for some time. Looking at the Prest-on project, I was feeling a lot more confident, and downright excited to get started.
There are many times you need to hang a product on a wall, but can't necessarily locate a stud. Instead of banging your head against the wall (this never works, only makes big holes), we'll usually reach for a Buildex Twist-N-Lock E-Z Anchor. These drywall anchors are extremely versatile and come in many different configurations - from light duty to heavy duty. This makes them applicable for almost any use and they can carry from 30 to 85 pounds per fastener. The Buildex Twist-N-Lock fasteners themselves are made from either nylon or zinc and have a unique feature.
Grip-Rite's Collated Coil Roofing Fas'ners are held together with wire and are perfect for use with nearly all coil-style roofing nailers. They are available in sizes ranging from 3/4" to 2" in galvanized (both smooth and ring shank), and from 1" to 1-1/2" in stainless steel. Each nail has a 3/8" broad head. We used a box of 1-1/4" galvanized to, among other things, roofa 400 square foot addition. The nails loaded easily and the coils retained their shape, thanks to the double wire weld collation method. This made loading easy and jams were infrequent, though the last nail in a coil would often fall away loose within several of our nailers.
What makes Tapcons so popular is that you simply drill a hole and then screw them in place. There are no inserts, so the anchors themselves are the very thing that bites into concrete, brick or masonry materials and provides a very secure connection. This makes for a very simple solution to a whole host of potential issues commonly faced by both homeowners and professionals.
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