I’m building a trex 5/4 deck has anyone used either Tigerclaw or Deckmaster. I need to install the trex from on top of the joists- there is only about 16″ max of clearance to the grade. Which system is preferable for ease of installation and keeping proper spacing?
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Just did 1,100 sqft with Tigerclaw. Very very time consuming, but very nice looking.
Was it composite decking and if so did you have to build a jig to keep proper spacing. It looks like the tiger claw needs a lot of pounding to seat to boards. How often did to prongs misalign and did any boards suffer damage?
A few boards did miss. You must stand and pound with a 12lbs hammer. Just a lots of pounding.
I like the Deckmaster system. I don't know about the 16" clearance. Then again it might be nice to work while laying down.
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I did two decks this summer with Deckmaster. Mine and a friend's. Mine was 8-1/2 feet off the ground and my firend's was just off the ground enough to lay on your back and slide under. As was stated....it was very time consuming BUT if you want a nice looking finished product it is well worth the time. It looks sooo nice when completed. I looked at it this way....if you're putting the time and money in to do Trex then do the hidden fastener.
I don't know about the other system but Deckmaster was straight forward....I don't like the sound of the other system where you pound it in. That would tend to open up the possibility of misalignment. Deckmaster was a lot of screwing but when you're done you'll be more than pleased.
I'll try to post a pic of my deck, which is an extension of our existing Trex deck that didn't use hidden fastener. You can't quite see the 'exposed' fasteners on the old deck but you can see how nice the new deck(wasn't quite finished when taking pic) is with the hidden fasteners.