How to DIY Redwood Decking with Hidden Screws

This post will show you how to DIY install your own 2×6 redwood decking with hidden CAMO edge deck screws for an upgraded look to your new deck. Check out the previous posts on the deck footings here and the deck beam and joist framing here. Now that the basic deck structure is in place, we’re just about ready to start installing the redwood deck boards.

Below is a photo of the redwood delivery from a local redwood supplier. Depending on your area, it may be easier to source cedar, preservative-treated decking, or even composite decking. Redwood is pretty easy to find out here on the West Coast. Plus I love the red-ish color and the warmth it will bring to the exterior of the house. So that’s what we’re using here. I calculated out how much decking we would need. Then I added 10 percent for errors and to give myself options in case I got an ugly board. This lumber delivery with cover both the front and back decks for the Main House Fixer Upper. It even has the lumber we’ll need for the guardrails, but more on that in a later post.

Guardrail Posts & Deck Joist Tape:

The last prep work before we can install the redwood decking is to install the guardrail posts and deck joist tape. The decking will work around the guardrail posts, so they need to go in first. Deck joist tape is a self-sticking butyl tape installed along the tops of the joists. This acts as flashing to protect the joists from rain and snow.

Below is a photo of the guardrail posts and deck joist tape on the front deck of the Main House. I’m building two decks here, a front and back deck on this Fixer Upper.

Below is the back deck with guardrail posts and deck joist tape. Now we’re finally ready for the redwood decking!

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Thought you might like to see the guardrail post connection at the joists. Below is a photo of the corner posts. For my area, double posts at the corner are needed to meet the governing building code.

The large brackets on the sides of the joists keep the guardrail posts from rotating away from the deck under a lateral force. These are Simpson DTT2Z holdown brackets with 5/8 inch diameter rods to the guardrail posts.

2×6 Flat Redwood Decking:

Ok, let’s get the redwood decking on. Typically, the longest 2×6 redwood board is 20 feet. Both decks are over 20 feet wide, so there will be joints in the decking layout. I want to avoid joints close to areas of high traffic, aka entry doors and deck stairs. So I used a computer drafting program to lay out my decking plan to scale. Below is a screenshot of my redwood decking layout at the back deck. This is using AutoCAD LT. They offer a 30 day free trial. I use it in my day job so that was a natural choice for me, but there are also number of drafting programs out there if you Google for them.

I started laying deck boards along the edge furthest from the house because I want a full board along that edge. The redwood seemed freshly milled and very wet and heavy. The boards will shrink as they dry so I did not bother with a gap between boards. I simply pushed them as close together as I could. Happy to report that the decking has dried and left adequate but not too large gaps between the boards.

Below is a progress photo at the front deck. The next section of this post goes into detail on the hidden screws used for the redwood decking. But all the decking behind me is screwed down and you can see the screw connections are hidden.

Good knee pads are a MUST for laying deck boards! Below is a photo of the best gel knee pads I have found to date. These were such a relief to find!

Also, nobody mentioned that laying real wood decking will give you splinters! So so so many splinters. So get a good pair of gloves to help reduce the pain. You’ll still get some anyway, but at least they help. I really like the Gorilla Grip gloves because they have a nice grip without being too bulky. Plus they offer smaller sizes that fit my smaller hands well.

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Usually, you’ll need to trim some length off the deck boards to fit. Also, the end cut from the mill is not typically straight so the butt joints of boards don’t line up unless you correct the cut. Below is a photo of the circular saw and the speed square I used to make straight cuts. The speed square acts as a guide for the saw.

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Hidden Camo Deck Screws:

To get a hidden deck screw connection for the 2×6 redwood deck boards, I used the CAMO Edge Deck Screws in the photo below. For 2×6 boards, you’ll need the 2-3/8 inch long screws. The screws connect at the edges of the deck boards and are screwed at about a 45 degree angle into the joists below. There is a small graphic labeled, “How It Works” on the Camo screw box in the photo.

Below are the actual screws. They come with a drill bit in the box. You can see the screw heads are quite small. That helps keep them hidden from view when screwing into the very edges of the 2×6 decking. A counter thread on the screw also helps keep them from unloosening over time and creating squeaks and loose boards.

CAMO Edge Deck Screws

• Screws secure deck boards through their edge directly to the joist for a fastener-free deck surface
• Edge Deck Screws have a rake tip that augers material out which reduces splitting and cracking
• ProTech coated Edge Deck Screws are ideal for treated lumber, composite, capped composite, and PVC
• 2-⅜-inch Edge Deck Screws are recommended for boards 1-inch to 1-½-inches thick. Covers approximately 200 sq ft

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There is not enough room to connect to the edge of the decking along the house, so I simply screwed vertically into the boards. Below is a photo of the small screw holes that are vertical near the house. The third row of deck boards are with the typical edge connection. You can see still see tiny holes if you look close enough and know where to look. But I’d call this basically a hidden screw connection.

Below is a super close up look of the CAMO Edge Deck screw holes for the hidden screw look.

CAMO does have a connector guide that is meant to help install the edge deck screws at the correct angle. However, I found it completely troublesome and ineffective, especially because I did not want any gap between the deck boards. Below is a video of how I installed the CAMO edge deck screws by hand. This was for the Front Cabin, but the method is exactly the same as I used for the Main House front and back decks. The video also shows you how to straighten out a slightly bend board.

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Deck Nosing at Perimeter:

By code, deck stairs need a nosing or an overhang of the horizontal boards over the vertical stair rise. So I installed the perimeter decking board to overhang the edge and create that nosing. The photo below shows the nosing overhang at about 1 inch.

For consistency, I continued the 1 inch overhang around the exposed edges of the deck. I also trimmed out the deck edge with a 2×6 so you don’t see the exposed ends of the 2×6 boards.

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Installed 2×6 Redwood Decking:

Here are photos of the finished 2×6 redwood decking at the back deck

It looks like a big raft to me in the photo below. Hopefully that goes way when I add the stairs and the guardrail infill.

Below is the front deck all fresh and so clean. The pink color of the new redwood is really neat. But it will fade to gray if I don’t seal it. We’ll do that after I get the stairs and guardrail in. Stay tuned!

Our cat was so happy to have these brand new lounging decks. This was taken after the decking had dried a bit and you can see the gaps between the boards already.