Screws or Nails, and When You Need a Wall Plug
Standing in front of the fastener drawers can feel like a quiz nobody warned you about, but most of the choice comes down to one question, which is whether the load is going to push across the fixing or try to pull it straight out. Once you know that, the rest is mostly about matching the fixing to what you're screwing or nailing into.
When a nail is the better choice
A nail is good at holding a load that pushes across it, which engineers call shear, and it bends a little under that load rather than snapping. That's why framing and fence palings have been nailed for as long as anyone can remember. It's also quick, because a hammer or a nail gun puts one in far faster than you can drive a screw.
As a rough guide, the nail wants to be about 2.5 to 3 times as long as the thing you're nailing on is thick, so most of its length ends up in the solid timber behind. Outside, go galvanised, and if you're near the coast or nailing into treated pine it's worth asking us whether stainless or hot dip galvanised suits the job better.
When a screw is the better choice
A screw's thread grips the timber, so it holds a load that's trying to pull it out much better than a smooth nail does. It also comes back out again without wrecking anything, which matters on cabinetry and on anything you'll want to take apart one day.
Match the screw to the material. Chipboard screws suit chipboard and general timber work around the house, bugle head screws are made for fixing plasterboard to the frame, batten screws are the heavy ones for fixing battens and structural timber, and self drilling tek screws are what you want for going into steel. Pre-drill hardwood near the end of a board, because it splits far more easily than pine does.
Where a wall plug comes in
A screw on its own has nothing to grip in brick or concrete, so it needs a plug in the hole to give the thread something to bite. Drill the hole with a masonry bit at the size the plug packet asks for, because a hole that's too big lets the plug spin and a hole that's too small splits the plug before it's all the way in. For anything heavy on masonry, a screwbolt or a sleeve anchor will hold far more than a plastic plug.
Plasterboard is its own problem
A plastic plug in plasterboard holds very little, because the board is usually only 10 or 13mm of plaster with nothing behind it. The best fix is always to find a stud and screw into the timber. Where there isn't a stud where you need one, a hollow wall anchor or a spring toggle spreads the load across the back of the sheet. There's a lot more on that in how to choose anchors and screws for heavy items.
Shop related products
- MACSIM 8-10 x 32mm Chipboard Screws, Yellow Zinc. A good general screw for timber around the house.
- Sutton D600 6mm Masonry Drill Bit. For drilling brick and block before a plug goes in.
- Hex Nut Sleeve Anchor Masonry Bolt, 8mm x 65mm. For a heavier load on brick or concrete.
- Sutton Supatorq Phillips PH2 Screwdriver Bit, 2 pack. The bit that suits most Phillips head screws.
Did you know we also stock bullet head nails by the kilo in bright and galvanised, batten screws, frame wall plugs, nail-in plugs, screwbolts, spring toggles and hollow wall anchors in the shop. Most of the fasteners aren't on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf, or bring in the job and we'll talk you through it.
More of the range is in fasteners and fixings, and the drill bits are in hand tools.
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I keep a jar of odd screws on the bench and I'm still not game to throw any of them out.
Candeece
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