Which screws for cladding battens?

[Will Dutson]

I'm cladding a timber frame workshop/garden room with 150mm feather edge. What screws would you recommend for fixing 25mm thick vertical battens onto 11mm osb and 4x2 studs?

 

[Sideways]

When doing a similar job I chose some Forgefast exterior, probably decking, screws from toolstation.
Their elementech 2000 coating claims to pass a 2000 hour salt spray test which is relatively demanding. Tan or green options not that it mattered.
I like torx head screws so that also worked for me.

Spax are also very good but £££

To me it's worth paying a bit more for good fixings if you are building something to last. It's pretty tedious replacing rotten screws in something that is otherwise perfectly sound.

 

[Will Dutson]

When doing a similar job I chose some Forgefast exterior, probably decking, screws from toolstation.
Their elementech 2000 coating claims to pass a 2000 hour salt spray test which is relatively demanding. Tan or green options not that it mattered.
I like torx head screws so that also worked for me.

Spax are also very good but £££

To me it's worth paying a bit more for good fixings if you are building something to last. It's pretty tedious replacing rotten screws in something that is otherwise perfectly sound.

Thanks, do you remember what size you used?

 

[Molynoox]

I would probably go for between 60mm and 80mm - depends how many screws you plan to use though (the spacing)
this will get you through the batten and OSB and give you between 30-50mm penetration into the stud

 

[clogs]

be careful if u use long st/steel screws...they are quite soft and easily snap........

 

[trvlr]

Seldom pays to cut corners re' costs on screws - especially if in even remotely vulnerable to weather effects. And one tip... grease each screw shank (the threads) with either a smidgeon of vaseline or a general purpose grease, and/or put a dab in any pilot holes you may drill for the screws. You will drill a pilot hole too (makes it easier to drive a screw home...)? Just dip each screw into the pot or whatever of grease to coat the thread...

 

[TomGW]

be careful if u use long st/steel screws...they are quite soft and easily snap........

Absolutely. I've wrung the head off about 6 of the first dozen I used screwing down chipboard last week. No reason to be using ss but it was the first thing to hand.

 

[Ollie78]

I like the deck tite ones, they are dark green coated and are decent quality.
I bought some other cheaper "exterior" ones and they were very soft and poorly finished.

I used the decktite on my fence years ago and no rust yet.

Ollie

 

[Cobbs]

Personally, I'd just use 65mm galvanised nails - much cheaper, much quicker and will outlast you and your kids - many thousands of roofs have used them and are still going strong after 6o years or more.

 

[Agent_zed]

Personally, I'd just use 65mm galvanised nails - much cheaper, much quicker and will outlast you and your kids - many thousands of roofs have used them and are still going strong after 6o years or more.

I recently had to fix some tiles on my roof and a few had the original galv nails in from the mid 50's. Still as good as the day they were hammered in.

As for which screws I'd use, I would just use long wood screws and wouldn't worry about it as they are behind cladding. I've put cheap woodscrews fully exposed in my fence and 2 years later they just unscrewed without a problem and barely had surface rust.

 

[MikeJhn]

I used SS ring shanked nails for both the battens and the ceda cladding, still fine over twenty years latter.

 

[Jones]

Nails are the correct fixing for nailing battens on. 65 to 75 mm 2.35 mm diameter galvanized. A nail will pull everything together not jack it apart, it's less likely to split the batten , won't be affected by the treatment ,is easier to remove years later and from an engineering perspective has a predictable cross section and strength .