# Forum Home Renovation Decking  Bunnings decking/screws

## lazydays

Went for a wander down to the local big B today to check out the merbau decking.
90x19 for $3.95/m, I was expecting to see lots of short cuts but was pleasantly surprised to see nearly all the bundles at around 3 to 4m long. (Do they hide short stuff inside the packs?)
The timber "looked" OK. I haven't got around to serious shopping yet but its good to know the Big B price. It is worth all the running around for prices and delivery or can't I do better than above. 
Also what about their  screws....Zenith 50x10g SS, $198/k as opposed to no name screws on ebay for about $130. Decking Screws Stainless Steel 10g x 50mm Qty: 500 pcs - eBay Other Bits, Nails, Screws, Building Materials, DIY, Home. (end time 26-Jan-10 15:36:09 AEDST)  
thanks for you input guys.

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## Jusso

> Went for a wander down to the local big B today to check out the merbau decking.
> 90x19 for $3.95/m, I was expecting to see lots of short cuts but was pleasantly surprised to see nearly all the bundles at around 3 to 4m long. (Do they hide short stuff inside the packs?)
> The timber "looked" OK. I haven't got around to serious shopping yet but its good to know the Big B price. It is worth all the running around for prices and delivery or can't I do better than above. 
> Also what about their  screws....Zenith 50x10g SS, $198/k as opposed to no name screws on ebay for about $130. Decking Screws Stainless Steel 10g x 50mm Qty: 500 pcs - eBay Other Bits, Nails, Screws, Building Materials, DIY, Home. (end time 26-Jan-10 15:36:09 AEDST)  
> thanks for you input guys.

  
Hi lazydays, 
I have just done my deck and I got my 90x19 Merbau from a place (Bowens) in SE Melbourne for $3.95/m. The Bowens timber was excellent but the stuff at big B seems pretty reasonable. If you see a full pack in stock at big B (or other stockists for that matter), they usually have a sheet attached to the side/end that shows all of the lengths and the quantity of each that the pack contains. 
I have seen word around here that the Zenith screws aren't that great (quite a few snapping). The ones in the link that you mentioned on eBay (from Chloe Fasteners) are actually Bremick brand screws which has been mentioned as a good brand. I have just finished screwing about 1,800 of these exact screws into my deck and we didn't snap a single screw (touch wood as I have a few to put in yet). Or another alternative is Online hardware, fasteners, tools, bolts and screws at wholesale prices for trade and DIY, the owner of which hangs around here quite a bit. 
Regards,
Jusso.

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## lazydays

thanks for the quick reply.....just the sort of answer I was looking for.
Next time in big B I'll look for a packing slip.

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## Bleedin Thumb

I had to relift a deck yesterday to get at a tank that was underneath it. Whilst I was at bunnies I picked up a packet of zeneth screws thinking I'll use them instead of reuseing slightly burred ones. 
The first zeneth I used burred, as did the second and third...don't waste your money..they are absolute @#@$! 
I ended up recycling the old ones, of which I am a bit short....I'll have to go back and fix it up.

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## watson

One of our members, scruffydo, runs an on-line screw place. He may be worth a PM>

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## billy74

I had a guy recommend some screws to me for decking. The brand is Spax and they have a Spax-D screw specially for decking. These screws go in so easy and never burr or snap and I never have any more problems with timber snapping. Also seem to hold better than other screws. Now I never use anything else.  
They have a website at Spax Screws 
Check them out, they might solve your problem.  Admin note, Billy 74 is not affiliated with this company.

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## Schumi

Hi Guys,  I purchased all my decking from the big B. The main reason for this was that I wanted full length boards and none of my local timber yards would supply the amount that I was after. I was lucky enough one day to walk into my local Big B and they had just taken delivery of a new stack. So I was able to hand pick all my boards, this is one of the advantages of Bunning’s. The boards are bundled in groups of 5 all the same length. You just need to be careful as some Bunning’s stock 22mm thick boards not all of them have 19mm.  As for the screws I would highly recommend these guys in Sydney.  Stainless Store - buy stainless steel fasteners online at trade price. Stainless steel screws, bolts, nuts, washers, socket screws, machine screws, decking screws, security screws and more, all at trade price in the Stainless Store online shop.  I have screwed over 1500 screws and not damaged one. They are an excellent quality and a reasonable price, alot better in price and quality of those zenith ones. I purchased the Hobson 10g x 50mm. You can get 1000 screws from these guys for less than the price of the zenith ones.   Alot of my decisions when constructing my deck came from reading all your input on this forum so I hope that this can help someone also in their planning  Anthony

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