The Best Hidden Fasteners for Your Composite Deck

Collated Cortex

Out­door liv­ing spaces are now an exten­sion of our indoor areas, which makes the selec­tion of mate­ri­als and con­struc­tion tech­niques cru­cial. Com­pos­ite deck­ing has become a top choice due to its dura­bil­i­ty, low main­te­nance, and ver­sa­tile aes­thet­ics. How­ev­er, it’s the details that tru­ly enhance the beau­ty and longevi­ty of any deck, specif­i­cal­ly the fas­ten­ing sys­tems that hold it together.

Why Composite Over Wood?

Com­pos­ite deck­ing offers unpar­al­leled ben­e­fits over tra­di­tion­al wood deck­ing. It stands up to the ele­ments with­out the need for con­stant upkeep, resist­ing warp­ing, rot­ting, and insect dam­age. Beyond its prac­ti­cal advan­tages, com­pos­ite deck­ing comes in a vari­ety of col­ors and fin­ish­es to enable cre­ative free­dom in design that nat­ur­al wood sim­ply can’t match.

Understanding How Hidden Deck Fasteners Work

Hid­den deck fas­ten­ers are a rev­o­lu­tion­ary method of con­nect­ing deck boards with­out vis­i­ble screws or nails that results in a clean, smooth sur­face that enhances the over­all appear­ance of your deck. Unlike tra­di­tion­al fas­ten­ing meth­ods that can mar the beau­ty of your deck­ing with vis­i­ble fas­ten­er heads, hid­den fas­ten­ers pro­vide a secure attach­ment from below or at the sides, to help keep the deck sur­face intact and unblemished.

Types of Hidden Fasteners

Side-Groove Fasteners

Some of the best hid­den deck fas­ten­ers for com­pos­ite deck­ing are slide-groove fas­ten­ers. These fas­ten­ers are insert­ed into the side grooves of deck­ing boards to cre­ate a fas­ten­er-free look on the sur­face. They often come with a stain­less steel or plas­tic con­struc­tion for dura­bil­i­ty against the elements.

Under-Mount Systems

Under-mount sys­tems attach to the joists and cov­er their tops with a deck board. They hide fas­ten­ers and pro­tect the joist tops from mois­ture to help extend the life of the deck structure.

Plug Systems

For areas where side-groove fas­ten­ers can’t be used, plug sys­tems allow screws to be dri­ven through the top of the board and cov­ered with a match­ing plug. While slight­ly more vis­i­ble, this method still offers a clean­er look than exposed screws.

Benefits of Using Hidden Fasteners

  • Aes­thet­ics: Pro­vides a smooth, unin­ter­rupt­ed deck sur­face that enhances the beau­ty of pre­mi­um deck­ing materials

  • Safe­ty: Elim­i­nates the risk of catch­ing feet on pro­trud­ing screws or nails

  • Dura­bil­i­ty: Helps pre­vent mois­ture ingress to reduce the risk of rot and decay by avoid­ing pen­e­tra­tion on the top sur­face of the boards

The Strength of FastenMaster Hidden Fastening Systems

Cortex Hidden Fastening System

Cortex Deck

Anoth­er one of the best hid­den fas­ten­ers for com­pos­ite deck­ing is Col­lat­ed Cor­tex®, which offers a solu­tion that con­ceals screws with col­or-matched plugs. This sys­tem allows for a clean, smooth fin­ish across the deck sur­face to elim­i­nate any signs of fas­ten­ing and to pro­vide a seam­less aesthetic.

Tiger Claw

TigerClaw TC‑G Clips

Designed for grooved deck­ing boards, Tiger Claw TC‑G Clips cre­ate a secure attach­ment that remains invis­i­ble to help pre­serve the deck­’s sleek appear­ance. They pro­mote even board spac­ing and straight­for­ward instal­la­tion to cre­ate a uni­form and gap-free sur­face, which is why they are one of the best hid­den fas­ten­ers for com­pos­ite decking.

TigerClaw Installation Gun

Tiger Claw Installation Gun For Grooved Decking

For deck builders look­ing for effi­cien­cy and pre­ci­sion, the Tiger Claw Instal­la­tion Gun is an essen­tial tool. It is a pneu­mat­ic gun that has been designed to dri­ve Tiger­Claw TC‑G clips in at the per­fect angle and depth each time to slash deck instal­la­tion time and ensure the sta­bil­i­ty and beau­ty of the deck for many years.

Installation Made Easy

The Tiger Claw TC‑G and Cor­tex sys­tems are both engi­neered for ease of instal­la­tion, to ensure that DIY­ers and pro­fes­sion­al builders can achieve pro­fes­sion­al-grade results. Fas­ten­Mas­ter pro­vides com­pre­hen­sive guides and tools that sim­pli­fy the process, from start to fin­ish to help make deck con­struc­tion quick­er and more efficient.

Choosing the Right Fastener for Your Project

Select­ing the appro­pri­ate fas­ten­ing sys­tem is cru­cial for max­i­miz­ing the poten­tial of your com­pos­ite deck. Con­sid­er the deck­’s design, the spe­cif­ic com­pos­ite mate­r­i­al used, and the envi­ron­men­tal con­di­tions it will face. Fas­ten­Mas­ter’s range caters to var­i­ous deck­ing needs to make sure that there’s an opti­mal solu­tion for every project.

FastenMaster: Innovative Decking Solutions with Unmatched Reliability

With exten­sive exper­tise in fas­ten­ing tech­nol­o­gy, Fas­ten­Mas­ter has become a leader in the deck­ing indus­try with the best hid­den fas­ten­ers for com­pos­ite decking.

We are known for our com­mit­ment to qual­i­ty, inno­va­tion, and cus­tomer sat­is­fac­tion. Our hid­den fas­ten­ing sys­tems deliv­er supe­ri­or per­for­mance that exceeds expec­ta­tions on every deck project. Trust our team to pro­vide the per­fect fas­ten­ing solu­tion tai­lored to your pro­jec­t’s unique needs.


Con­tact us today for expert advice and com­pre­hen­sive support!