Sawdust on the Floor

I can’t tell you how many times I have lamented to my wife something along the lines of ” Man, I wish I had the patent on that…………, I would be a millionaire by now”. Some of the items that could fill in the blank, would be the “wire tie or zip tie as some call it, or the sheet rock screw.  It seems that every week someone comes up with a different and unique use for these products. And yes I as guilty as everyone else, I often use both products for things never intended by the inventor. 

I have used sheet rock screws for everything from hanging sheet rock, to securing plywood to the subfloor of our kitchen upgrade, to securing sides of the cabinets in our kitchen and bathroom vanity together.  And for the most part, I have been happy with the results. While the sheet rock screws really work great in securing sheet rock to wood studs, they are not the ideal fastener when used on other projects. I can’t tell you how many times I have driven a sheet rock screw into something a little harder than a conventional framing stud, only to have the screw head shear off.  If I was lucky the head broke off either below the surface of the wood, or high enough that I could extract the broken screw without destroying the surface of the wood.  Believe me, I wasn’t always lucky.

I think that a lot of us automatically turn to the ever present sheet rock screw is the pure fact that they are readily available and are not expensive.  Take a trip to your favorite DIY super store, and you will find at least a quarter of an aisle dedicated to sheet rock screws. That in itself speaks to the popularity of the sheet rock screw. Again, ” Man, I wish I had the patent on that……….”  But all kidding aside, depending on your application, there are better options for fasteners then the sheet rock screw.

The common sheet rock screw is designed to fail at a torque rating of 25-30 in/lbs, or 2-3 Ft/lbs of torque. When you apply a torque greater than these values the screw head will normally shear off.  Considering the amounts of torque that the newer impact drivers and screw guns can develop that really isn’t a lot of torque. If you’re not familiar with the terminology, torque is simply a measurement of how much twist you can apply to a fastener before it fails. The greater the torque rating, the more twist you can apply.  

A better option might be to switch to the use of what is known as production or Extra Torque(XT) screws .   These screws have a torque rating of 40-55 in/lbs or 3.5-5 Ft/lbs of torque, almost twice that of the sheet rock screw. Another advantage of the XT screw is that the traditional Phillips head on the sheet rock screw has been replaced with a square head, that means less cam out, the official term for stripping the head of the screw. This is the same type head used on several varieties of deck fasteners and the Kreg Pocket screws.

If you are working with hardwoods, it has always been recommended that you predrill and use a screw lubrication before you drive the screws into the wood. Now there is another option.  While it is still recommended that you predrill the screw holes, The change is that instead of lubricating the screw, you can elect to use what is known as a Unplated dry Lube screw. These screws are coated with a dry lubrication during the manufacturing process.  This coating reduces the amount of torque required to set the screws, which again equates to less broken or cammed out screws. This dry lubrication also offers some protection from corrosion. The manufacturer recommends that these screws are for internal use only.

There is one more option that I intend to use, on our on going bathroom upgrade. That is if and when we ever get a weekend without rain or snow.  Part of this upgrade will be to install new trim around the existing bathroom window.  I intend to replace the entire window trim package, that will includes the trim, sill, and the jam extenders.  In the past, getting the joint between the vertical trim pieces and the window sill tight has always been a real challenge.   In the past I have used shims under the sill to force it up and into the vertical trim pieces.  Sometimes this works, other times not.  I have also tried to shoot finish nails from under the sill into the vertical trim, but these nails just don’t have the holding capabilities needed. My new choice will be to use Trim Head screws.  These specially designed screws have a thin shank, and a square head.  When driven into your material the small head will sink below the surface of the wood, much like a properly set finish nail.  Ideal for installing trim, cabinet backs and according to the manufacturer even into stair treads. The other advantage is that if the fit isn’t just perfect, you can back the screw out and adjust the fit of your project, something that you can’t do with a finish nail without damaging the surface of the wood.

So while I would still would love to have the patent rights to the sheet rock screws (if anyone is offering), I now understand that they are not a miracle product that will work in every application.   I am not going to throw away or discard my collection of sheet rock screws, but instead will supplement them with a good selection of the XT and trim head screws.  And yes, I would like to add these screws to that list of products that I wish I had the patent rights to.  Yeah I know, dream on.

For more information on or to purchase any of the products discussed in this post, please click on the highlighted links and images in the post.