Screws for Tx red cedar

[MilDoc]

Looking at McFeely's site and their No-Co-Rode screws, there is a warning about using them with Western red cedar due to the acidity of the wood. Does this also apply to Texas red cedar? Is it also very acidic? If so, what screws do you use for outdoor projects that will be rained on, etc?

[WayneJ]

I beleive that holds true for all cedar. Stainless steel screws and nails are what are called for.
Wayne

[gerti]

Yep. A few years ago I had a small cedar fence built by a landscaper (I was busy with some other work, and my wife did not want to wait). Despite asking for stainless he used the coated screws. It took less than a year for long ugly dark streaks to appear under the screws. I replaced all screws with stainless ones, but the damage is done and the streaks are still very noticeable.

[MilDoc]

McFeely's site says even stainless can be a problem but I guess it's the best choice. These are pretty soft metal, right? Need to drill pilots for them?

[WayneJ]

Just the opposite. Stainless steel would be harder. Yoe should'nt have to drill holes unless the wood splits.
Wayne

[gerti]

The heads like to round over though when driving the screws, at least that was my experience.

[bigsteel15]

What about the green deck screws? I can't remember if they are OK for cedar, but I know they are recommended for treated lumber decking.

[jziegler]

I just used a bunch of stainless hardware in some easten white cedar, went right in with no pre-drilling. I also used some of the tan deckmate screws in a project last year, and no staining so far. The packaging makes it seems like they should be good for the cedar. The only place I've found deckmate is HD, and the selection of sizes varies. Of course, this was mostly white cedar, with a little western red thrown in when I ran out, so the Texas variety could be a bit different.

Jim

[offthemark]

I built a cedar table for my dad last year. I used the tan Deckmate screws that say they work for pressure treated and cedar. No runs yet. They go in easy.