How to Install Composite Decking With Deck Clips

Trans­form your out­door space into a seam­less, ele­gant area with Fas­ten­Mas­ter Tiger Claw TC‑G Hid­den Fas­ten­ing Clips. This guide is tai­lored for both builders and DIY enthu­si­asts that are eager to achieve a per­fect deck with­out vis­i­ble screws or nails.

Understanding the Basics of Composite Decking Installation

Why Composite Decking?

Com­pos­ite deck­ing is a supe­ri­or choice for those seek­ing dura­bil­i­ty and low main­te­nance. Its resis­tance to fad­ing, stain­ing, scratch­ing, and mold, com­bined with the envi­ron­men­tal ben­e­fits from using recy­cled mate­ri­als, makes it an excel­lent option for your deck­ing needs.

The Role of Hidden Fasteners

Learn­ing how to install com­pos­ite deck­ing with hid­den fas­ten­ers can be a chal­lenge. How­ev­er, Fas­ten­Mas­ter Tiger Claw TC‑G clips make it much eas­i­er. They help ensure a smooth deck sur­face, free of screw heads or nails to enhance both the aes­thet­ic and struc­tur­al integri­ty of the deck by pro­vid­ing con­sis­tent spac­ing for expan­sion and contraction. 

Tools and Materials You’ll Need

For a suc­cess­ful instal­la­tion, you’ll need:

• A drill for hand instal­la­tion or a Fas­ten­Mas­ter TC‑G Pneu­mat­ic Instal­la­tion Gun for faster work

• A cir­cu­lar saw, tape mea­sure, ham­mer, and safe­ty glasses

• Com­pos­ite deck­ing boards and the Fas­ten­Mas­ter TC‑G sys­tem, which includes hid­den fas­ten­ing clips com­pat­i­ble with the Fas­ten­Mas­ter Instal­la­tion Gun.

Preparing The Deck Frame

Ensure a Solid Foundation

Start with a stur­dy frame and ensure that the joists are spaced cor­rect­ly as per your deck­ing mate­ri­al’s spec­i­fi­ca­tions. Pro­tect your struc­ture against mois­ture with joist tape to add an extra lay­er of durability.

Layout Planning for Grooved Composite Decking

When plan­ning the lay­out of your grooved com­pos­ite deck, a metic­u­lous approach not only min­i­mizes waste, it also helps cre­ate an aes­thet­i­cal­ly pleas­ing fin­ish. Here’s how to refine your lay­out planning:

Board Orientation and Durability

Align deck­ing boards to run per­pen­dic­u­lar to the pri­ma­ry house view for visu­al appeal and effi­cient water runoff. This ori­en­ta­tion also con­tributes to the deck­’s dura­bil­i­ty by direct­ing water away from the structure.

Utilize Breaker Boards

Inte­grate break­er boards into your design to dis­rupt con­tin­u­ous seam lines that will enhance both the deck­’s struc­tur­al integri­ty and visu­al appeal. They can be strate­gi­cal­ly placed to cre­ate pat­terns or define areas with­in the deck, such as din­ing spaces or loung­ing areas.

Strategic Seam Placement

Plan seams in less notice­able areas or incor­po­rate them into your design as a fea­ture. Con­sid­er the deck­’s lay­out in rela­tion to fixed ele­ments like fur­ni­ture or planters that can be used to con­ceal or dis­tract from seams.

Optimize Board Lengths

Choose board lengths that reduce cuts and lim­it waste by arrang­ing your lay­out to make the most of stan­dard board sizes. Draft­ing a detailed plan can help you pur­chase the most effi­cient com­bi­na­tion of board lengths.

Expansion and Contraction Gaps

Account for the nec­es­sary spac­ing between boards to accom­mo­date expan­sion and con­trac­tion due to tem­per­a­ture changes. Ensure that gaps are con­sis­tent for a uni­form look, and fol­low the man­u­fac­tur­er’s rec­om­men­da­tions for spac­ing based on your deck­’s spe­cif­ic expo­sure conditions.

Plan for Accessories

From the out­set, con­sid­er how deck acces­sories like rail­ings, bench­es, light­ing, and planters will inte­grate with grooved deck­ing. These ele­ments can affect the over­all lay­out and may require spe­cif­ic fas­ten­ing solu­tions com­pat­i­ble with grooved boards.

By incor­po­rat­ing these con­sid­er­a­tions into your lay­out plan­ning, you can achieve a deck that is not only visu­al­ly appeal­ing but also built to make the most of your com­pos­ite deck­ing materials.

Quick Step-by-Step Installation Guide for Deck Clips

1. First Board Instal­la­tion: Secure your ini­tial board at each joist with a 2½” deck screw and Cor­tex Hid­den Fas­ten­er Plug, and make sure that it’s straight and firm­ly attached.

2. Posi­tion the Fas­ten­ers: While apply­ing pres­sure, insert a screw at a 45° angle through the fas­ten­er into the joist and ensure that the fas­ten­er is per­pen­dic­u­lar to the deck board.

3. Install the Fas­ten­ers: Slide the TC‑G or TC-120 fas­ten­er into the groove of the deck board and align it with the cen­ter of the joist. Tilt the next board slight­ly to engage the clips and press down until ful­ly seated.

4. Repeat and Com­plete: Con­tin­ue these steps for each board, and main­tain con­sis­tent spac­ing until the deck is complete.

5. Fin­ish­ing Touch­es: For the final board, use fin­ish nails along its edge. Com­plete with the Cor­tex Hid­den Fas­ten­ing Sys­tem, cov­er­ing all screws with the plugs.

Safety First

Always pri­or­i­tize safe­ty by wear­ing pro­tec­tive eye­wear and care­ful­ly han­dling all com­po­nents dur­ing installation.

Managing Butt Seams

For butt seams:

1. Deter­mine the Seam Loca­tion: Iden­ti­fy the joist where the seam will occur for pre­cise clip placement.

2. Install Clips for Seam: Use a Tiger Claw TC‑G Butt Seam Clip fas­ten­er with a ded­i­cat­ed butt seam clip and main­tain a quar­ter-inch gap for opti­mal spacing.

3. Secure the Fas­ten­ers: Attach the fas­ten­ers and clips into the deck board groove and secure them at a 45-degree angle.

4. Align and Install the Next Board: Ensure that the board fits snug­ly into the installed clips for a smooth, con­tin­u­ous surface.

Maintaining Your Composite Deck: Post-Installation Care

To keep your deck in great shape, it’s impor­tant to per­form reg­u­lar main­te­nance. Clean your com­pos­ite deck­ing peri­od­i­cal­ly using soap and water to main­tain its fresh appear­ance. Once a year, inspect the deck for any loose clips or boards and tight­en or replace them as need­ed. Remem­ber, fol­low­ing reg­u­lar care and main­te­nance rou­tines can sig­nif­i­cant­ly extend the lifes­pan of your deck.

FastenMaster Deck Clips: Simplify Your Deck Installation

Use Fas­ten­Mas­ter Tiger Claw TC‑G Hid­den Fas­ten­ing Clips for a secure, screw-free deck sur­face. Our clips sim­pli­fy deck instal­la­tion for both pro­fes­sion­als and DIY enthusiasts. 

Con­tact us today for more details on how to use these clips in your next deck­ing project!