3 Best Screws For Fence Pickets (That Hold) – You’ll Love These!
Nails used to do the job, but the rust out and lost their old over time and after repeated use.
If you are going for that white picket fence look, the look of dreams, then you need a screw that can help you build that dream.
Along with reviewing multiple different types of screws, we also have included a buying guide and some frequently asked questions to help you in getting clarity on what exactly you need.
| Image | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Grip Rite Prime Guard MAXS62690 Size: 1-5/8" Shank: 8 Drive: Star Package quantity: n/a | |
 | FastenMaster FMGD158-75 Size: 1-5/8" Shank: 9 Drive: Pozisquare Package quantity: 75 | |
 | The Hillman Group 47693 Size: 1-5/8" Shank: 6 Drive: Pozisquare Package quantity: 1000 |
3 Screws For Fence Pickets (as of April, 2024):
1. Grip Rite Prime Guard MAXS62690 Screw For Fence Pickets – The All-Around Screw For Holding Power Review
Made from stainless steel, these screws require no extra coating as their strength and durability is built from the material itself.
Grip Rite Prime Guard MAXS62690 screws are high quality, hard to strip due to their stainless-steel construct.
We even tried magnets against them and not one screw moved.
You can use these on Redwood, Cedar, any sort of ACQ, CA or CCA treated woods, as well as plastics and MDFs without any worries.
Naturally rust and corrosion resistant, these are perfect for outdoor uses. They have a sharp tip so no need for a pilot hole upon installation.
Recommendation
These are great for use with just about any outdoor wood project.
We would recommend using a regular torque application though. Stainless-steel is soft and a hard torque application in a harder wood could cause issues.
Main Features
- Type 17 Point Deck Screw
- #8 by 1-5/8-inch T20 Star Drive
- 305 Stainless Steel 5 pound tub
- Stainless-steel
- Sharp point and coarse threads
- Handsome exterior
- No need for coating
2. FastenMaster FMGD158-75 Screw For Fence Pickets – For All Your WoodScrew Needs Review
Made for any treated wood such as Cedar, Redwoods, and Pressure Treated ACQ, this is great for any fencing jobs you have as long as it is wood.
One of the great features about FastenMaster FMGD158-75 screw is that the head can be installed with either a square driver or a Philips driver.
The threading on this is set for a coarse grip but is also protected with a nice coating to guarantee it for the life of the project.
Recommendation
We would recommend this only for projects where you really need a wood screw.
The performance does not hold up when it comes to thick plastics or harder materials.
Main Features
- Easy to use
- Highly durable
- Guaranteed for life of the project and ACQ approved
- Versatile Pozisquare drive virtually eliminates cam out
- Aggressive thread design increases holding power
- Sharp piercing point for quick and easy installation
- Free PoziSquare drive included in every box
- Sharp-tipped for penetration
- Rust-proof coating on coarse threads
- Versatile installation
- Comes with its own bit
3.The Hillman Group 47693 Screw For Fence Pickets – Tough When You Need It Review
These galvanized screws are perfect for any ACQ, CA or CCA treated woods.
Designed to resist severe outdoor weather, these screws are tough.
With a Phillips head drive, you know that they will hold but can be removed easily later on.
The Hillman Group 47693 screws are great screws for decks, fences, or any wood-based outdoor project.
While they are built for the outdoors, the protective coating can stain woods like cedars or redwoods that would absorb some of the galvanized coating.
Recommendation
We would recommend these for jobs that need to get done. Not the most handsome looking, these are for heavy duty applications that need to withstand a good amount of weather.
Main Features
- 1000 pieces per package
- Galvanized finish provides excelent corrosion protection
- Designed for outdoor use and perfect for decks, fences or furniture
- Philips head provides a more accessable bit type and is easy to use
- For use with ACQ, CA, and CCA treated wood (not recommended for cedar or redwoods)
- Galvanized coating makes them rust and corrosion proof
- Good coarse threading
- Phillips head top makes it accessible
Buying Guide
It is important before you start a project and begin buying supplies to take some time and get very clear on what it is you need before you get too far in.
You do not want to buy a huge tub of screws, take it home, open it up after throwing away the receipt, and now you have 1,000 of the wrong screws!
Length
A few things that you should consider when looking to buy the right screw is length. How thick is the wood that you are working with?
If the pickets are thin and the support beam is thin, a screw that is too long will go right out the back. This causes the dangers of cutting or snagging someone when they walk by. Also, it just looks shabby.
On the other hand, you also want to make sure that your screw is long enough to go through the first picket and bite well into the support.
Otherwise, it may hold while you are standing there, but the first windstorm will send you down the neighborhood collecting poorly attached pickets.
The Thick And Thin Of It
Along the same lines, you want to make sure that the screws that you get are not too thick. Screws that are too thick can actually cause the wood you are trying to affix to split or break.
All of the screws that we reviewed above are not too thick and should be appropriate for most applications.
Weather
One of the other things to consider is how durable you need the screws to stay. Humid environments can rust otherwise durable screws very quickly.
Similarly, heavy rain, strong winds, and snow all pose a danger not just to the wood for your fence, but to the very integrity of the screws holding your fence together.
Along with shopping for the right wood treatment, you also need to keep an eye on the durability of the screws you are using. Weather treatments though come with their own advantages and disadvantage.
For example, the galvanized coating of the Hillman screws can protect from corrosion, but that coating can also stain certain projects. The FastenMaster is very durable against weather but is best used for softer woods.
Pre-Drilling Required?
The Hillman and in particular the Grip Rite both boast that no pre-drilling is required due to their razor-sharp points and immediate grip that basically pre-drill themselves.
For those who want a bit more initial control and do not want to stress their screw guns out, then the FastenMaster may be the better choice. However, you will need a separate drill and a pilot hole drill bit that is appropriate for the task.
What Materials Are You Using?
This is perhaps the most important question to answer. Do you know what sort of hardwoods you are using? Is it softwood? Is it MDF in the front for durable, weather-proof pickets?
Knowing this will often drive what sort of screw you need for the project at hand.
Most likely you are not using hardwoods for outside fences or decks. If you are, then a careful slow application of the Grip Rite’s stainless-steel screws after pre-drilling a solid pilot hole is recommended.
Most decks and fences though are made from softwood such as cedar, douglas fir, redwoods, or any other pressure treated wood product. Given that, most of the recommendations above would work out great for you.
The only one to be aware of though would be the Hillman’s galvanized exterior against the softest of your cedar redwoods. As mentioned above, it will stain the wood and make your project look bad.
You will want to make sure that any wood you are using is treated. The weathering and warping process that wood can go through will make any project look miserable in short order.
There are many different weathering treatment processes and certifications so you want to make sure that any wood that you get is either ACQ, CA or CCA certified. Just as we covered above, you also want to make sure that the screws you get are up to the task as well.
What Tools Do You Have Already?
Sometimes you can buy the right kind of screw, then get home an realize, you do not have a star screw top which the Grip Rites need. Or perhaps you do not have access to any drills for pre-drilling holes.
This is a bit like giving a mouse a cookie, they are going to want some milk. If you end up buying the wrong screws, then you can end up buying more equipment than you originally set out for which will drive your whole project way over budget.
In a similar vein, it is important to make sure that the screws you get are easy to install but just as easy to remove.
In the world of fixer-uppers and changing scenery, even the standard white picket fence may undergo change, and you want to make sure either the square head screws or Phillip’s head screws can come out the same way they went in.
What Is Your Budget For Screws
While the Grip Rite is a good stainless-steel screw, they can be quite expensive, especially if your use of them is going to be heavy. Your cost for these may be up to two to three times the cost of the other screws reviewed.
In the past, this has driven some woodworkers to use cheap drywall screws as another option. The problem though is that strength and protection are certainly not there for those types of screws.
Especially when you are working outside, if you do not want to have to go back out there to install more screws later, you want to get the material right the first time and that may mean spending more on galvanized screws, coated screws, or stainless-steel screws.
Conclusion
It is our hope that the above provided a good launching point for you as you are putting up your fences this summer.
A good project has a few moving parts to it, and it is important to understand what you need before you need it, or before you cannot return what you just bought. The buying guide and questions were designed to get you thinking about your project.
Hopefully, it brought some clarity in understanding the wood you are working with while also providing a good understanding of what you need to look for in the screws you are going to use.
Whether it is focusing on the thickness of the wood, the tools you already have, or what your goal is for durability, there is something in there for everyone.
After reading through this whole article, we would encourage you to go back through and now to spend some time going back through the reviews of the screws towards the top here.
Click on each one and spend some time going through them now that you are more informed.
When it comes to a softer wood project, the FastenMaster is a solid wood screw that can get the job done. The Hillman is great for wood projects that do not necessarily need to look pretty, but they need to hold together though harsher weather.
If you are able to spend extra, take a look at the Grip Rite for a durable hold using all stainless steel.
We encourage you to read the reviews for yourselves so you can rest assured that you are getting the best screw for your project.
