**Choosing the Right Screws for Your Project**

When it comes to screwing things together, choosing the right screws can be overwhelming, especially with all the options available at the hardware store. In this article, we'll break down the basics of screws and help you make an informed decision for your next project.

**Differences in Screw Drive Types**

There are two main types of screw drives: flathead and Phillips. The most common type is the Phillips head, which has a cross-shaped slot on top that fits into a corresponding recess on the screw head. This design provides better torque and less cam-out, making it easier to drive screws into wood or other materials. Flathead screws, on the other hand, have a straight slot on top and are often used for older projects or in situations where the material is too hard for Phillips head screws.

**Screw Sizes: Understanding the Number System**

In many countries, including America and Canada, screw sizes follow a numerical system that refers to the diameter of the shaft. The smaller the number, the smaller the diameter. For example, a #4 screw has a larger diameter than a #6 screw, while an #8 screw has an even larger diameter. This means that if you need to screw into wood or other materials with a small diameter, you'll want to use a smaller-numbered screw.

**Choosing the Right Screw for Your Project**

When choosing screws, consider the type of material you're working with and the project's requirements. For deck stair treads, you may want to use screws that can hold down wood to metal stringers. In this case, self-tapping screws are a good option, as they drill their own hole through the metal and thread themselves into it.

**Screw Types: Self-Tapping vs. Regular Screws**

Self-tapping screws have a drill bit on one end that creates its own hole in the material. This design makes them ideal for use with thin materials or when you don't want to pre-drill holes. Regular screws, on the other hand, require drilling before installation.

**Screw Sizes: What You Need to Know**

As mentioned earlier, screw sizes follow a numerical system that refers to the diameter of the shaft. However, this isn't always the case. Some screws have different points or flutes on one end, which can affect their performance. For example, some screws have a split point that helps them thread into wood more easily.

**Tips for Choosing Screws**

When selecting screws, it's essential to consider your specific project needs and the type of material you're working with. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

* Use the right screw size for your project.

* Consider using self-tapping screws if you need to work with thin materials or want to save time on pre-drilling holes.

* Choose screws with the correct drive type (e.g., Phillips head) for your project.

* Make sure to select a screw that fits your material, whether it's wood, metal, or plastic.

**Conclusion**

Choosing the right screws can seem daunting, but by understanding the basics and considering your project's requirements, you'll be well on your way to selecting the perfect screws for your next project. Remember to take into account factors such as screw size, drive type, and material compatibility to ensure a successful outcome.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi I'm Shannon from host improvements comm and my video today I just want to talk about screws the type different types of screws threads the drives the heads and even some sizes just some basic DIY knowledge of both screws so I've got a bit of a lineup here of a few different types of screws kind of starting from right to left we've got a stainless steel screw okay so it might be something that you use outside or in a shower that sort of thing so this one's stainless steel this screw here is a metal roofing screw so it's got a rubber washer on here and this particular one is for going into wood so screw a metal sheet onto wood okay and here we've got a truss head screw or a pocket screw so it's kind of got a larger washer all pre attached to it for good holding power so it doesn't pull through the material you're attaching so that'd be usually wood or that sort of thing here we've got a well would be it this is a brand name tapcon we're not sponsored by them or anything but this would be a concrete screw so you would pre hole the or pre-drill appropriate size hole through the material you're trying to fasten and into the concrete and then thread this into place so it's got pretty aggressive threads but they're pretty sharp and they thread right into two concrete right here we've got a what's getting to be very common structural type screw so it's a very heavy shank really coarse threads again quite a big head on it to reduce the amount of pull through that you might get and good you know it doesn't shear off or snap off easily so that's a structural screw again that'd be normally used in wood this here is a finishing screw or headless screw so for doing some if you wanted to do some trim work where you want to use screws it's got a very small head which is easier to fill that little hole hole in in it afterwards here we've got a common deck screw so these this is some of the first screws that came out kind of called deck screws just got a bit of a coating on it that is okay in most woods except for pressure-treated lumber if you were going to use pressure-treated lumber then these next two screws would be screws you'd want to choose either these or a stainless steel screw but these ones have a coating on them that isn't affected by the chemicals used pressure treat lumber so they're acq approved so they can be used in pressure treated lumber this one here I don't think this one's actually ACQ approved but again it's just a little smaller gauge screw that could be used outdoors here's a typical drywall screw so this is a coarse threaded one that's a typical length for standard half-inch drywall applications and over here a lot of people don't think of these as screws but this is actually a machine screw a lot of people think of it as a bolt but it's it's really a machine screw so this this type of screw would be turned into either a knot or a threaded hole usually in in metal but it can be used to clap piece two pieces of wood together to sew so those are kind of your type quite a few of the more common types of screws that you're gonna see as a DIY er another kind of common type I should have this one out here here's just a plain old zinc wood screw okay so for some interior work or whatever that would be perfectly fine if you're going to use it outside you need a screw outside then you'd want to go to a deck screw or one of the CQ approved quoting screws okay now threads when we talk about threads you basically have fine thread actually this is a good example these two drywall screws here you have a fine thread right here so they're just a lot more closely spaced together as opposed to this coarse thread one where they're a little further apart so in the drywall world this fine thread screw would be used if you're attaching drywall to metal studs for example where this one would be used if you're attaching it to wood other places where fine or coarse threaded screws might make a difference is if you're doing some kind of woodworking project usually uh for any kind of project usually you want to use a fine thread screw wood screw or whatever into hard wood or into metal where the coarser thread screws would be soft woods or ply woods for example okay so that's kind of your threads yeah okay so you'll find quite a variance of different drives that need to be used so that is that is the type of head that they have as far as the driver you need to to drive that that particular screw in so I'm from Canada and typically speaking in Canada our most common screw head or drive is the Robertson okay now this is much like the square drive that you guys will have in the US but it's better it's the Robertson head has a little bit more of a taper to it which grips the screw better I find a lot of times with square drive drivers and screws you'll put the screw on your drill turn around to put it wherever you're going to do it and screw falls off it doesn't just doesn't grip on there where Robertson is shaped a little differently and it kind of fits on there tighter and it doesn't fall off your driver easy so that that would be a Robertson or square drive over here we've got can you see that we've got a Philips so it's kind of a X shaped Drive so that's that would be called the Philips Drive here we've got what I'd say is the most dangerous driving wall and should be outlawed in my opinion is the slotted Drive so you're going to be using a slotted screwdriver if you're if you're actually trying to drive a wood screw in with a slotted screwdriver there is a very very good chance that your screwdriver is going to slip out of that little slot damage the work that you're the you know the product you're trying to screw into or stab yourself in the finger so slotted screws I generally if I come across them in a project like I'm taking some of the part I throw them away because I just won't use them and in fact I had a hard time finding a screw to use as as an example with a slotted head in it the other day when I was looking around because I didn't I just don't keep them so so slotted Philips Robertson or square drive this is just another size of Robertson or square drive most of these heads will all come in our drivers will all come in three different sizes this one here being a number two or a number 8 pair sorry number two or a red Robertson is the most common size you're gonna use index screws and that sort of thing what do we got here so here we have a bit of a combination you could drive this with either a Phillips or Robertson or a square drive with this particular one I think I skipped over this one didn't I yeah I did so this this one's a Torx this is probably the best drive that you can get so this this is a very positive lock when you put that driver in there there's no slipping no stripping these ones more and more screws are coming out with that so yeah the torque head style what do we got here again this is another combination one so it's a Philips and a Robertson type head put together so this one here is a hex drive so you'd be using like a nut driver or that sort of thing to fit the head that's on there again that's actually a really good head as well but you typically won't see it on a smaller screw like this it'll typically be on some more of a specialty screw there we've got a Philips again and a Robertson again so those are kind of the mean the mean drive types that you're gonna come across okay now as far as the head style and what I'm talking about there is for instance on this screw this is a flat head obviously it's really flat on the on the top and it's got a little bit of a taper on the bottom okay so these will drive in they'll drive in nice and flush to whatever you're doing or you can even drive them countersunk into your would that head and this head are very similar they're both flat but this one's more of a bugle shape that you'll find on a on a drywall screw so it's not it's got a little less taper in here it's a little more gradual and it draws in nice and flat on drywall just below the surface but without ripping the tape on drywall so it's specifically designed for that okay so we've got that again we talked a little bit about this already this head here so you've got your it's it's actually got a little bit of a dome or a pan head on the top but it's got this large surface on the backside kind of like a built in washer to help draw your whatever you're screwing down to the other piece draw it down tight with a pulling through the wood too easily again this one's the same we talked about this one earlier this one this hex drive nuts got an extra little piece here which is actually a washer a little piece of metal with a rubber washer and that's so what makes a seal when it's used on metal siding or roofing here's a round head or pan head screw so you can see it's got a little bit of a dome shape but a nice flat surface on the back so when it's screwed into the wood this part here is protruding above the surface of whatever you're screwing into but yeah it's got a good flat back to hold down tight this this one again is a bit of a is around head too it's a little more predominant from that one but basically the same function really flat on the back so those those are your basic head types that you're gonna find here here's actually another this is a little bit similar to the drywall screw with the Butte a little more of a bugle shape on the back but this one here has can still be so the difference between this and this is this one can still be driven in pretty much flush or just below the surface of the material you're screwing into for instance on deck stair treads where you want some screws maybe to hold the wood down to a metal stringer this drives in nice and flush to the top doesn't stick up and isn't hurt on the feet where this one doesn't it's got that a little bit of a bulge that would stick up there okay so that's those ones then the other other thing to just touch on before we wrap up is different sizes of screws so I don't know about all around the world but in America Canada in the US basically be a number sizing system so the numbers the smaller the number like a number four which is what the screw would be is smaller than the number six which is what that one would be okay and then you go to say number eight and we're we're not talking about the length at all because obviously those are different too we're talking about the actual shank diameter so the actual overall diameter of the thread so right here we'd have four six eight this one here is probably a 10 I would guess and but basically they'll go right from I'm not even sure like a number three probably to 14 something like that so they just increase in in diameter as far as the shaft goes shaft here okay so that's the sizes deciding what size you need for most cases in construction you're going to be using a number eight likely if you're gonna be maybe screwing some hinges on or some some fine little work then you're gonna need a little bit smaller screw right now some screws will have different points so can make this out can you see this little little split in the point there okay can you kind of see that little split looks like a little kind of looks like a flue flute in a drill bit or something like that I don't know if any of these show it any better no none of them do well that little this little split there actually helps with drilling the screw into the wood so as you're turning it in that little split is helping to thread it in and create the hole there and clear the wood chips out so somehow that some don't know if that one's any easier to see probably not that's kind of got a little one right here - okay we're posed - this one doesn't have that anywhere right but you can see on this one that the the first few threads are kind of chisel like they they kind of do what that does it just helps helps it thread in there here's one that's self tapping so this this screw here actually is designed to usually hold wood to metal so this end here is a drill bit on it so it'll actually drill us its own hole through the metal if it's not too thick and then these threads will actually thread themself into it so I would say up to I don't know maybe up to an eighth of an inch of the most they would work on okay so that's just a little bit about the tips of them and kind of how they work I think I covered really all the basics should answer a lot of questions because I know when you go into the hardware store and you get to the fastener or the screw I'll and you look and you've got you're in a big-box store you can as far as you can see there's screws down both sides of the aisle and it gets a little bit a little bit I don't know what the right word is overwhelms you a little bit right you know you're coming in you wanted to screw it up some deck boards on but now you see there's a thousand choices down this aisle or more and now you don't know what to do and then when you finally find the section that says deck screws all sudden you've got a C Q you've got just these standard ones you know you alson you've got choices even within that subject so hopefully this kind of helps you determine a little bit better what kind of screws what type sizes that sort of thing that you need for your specific project so I hope the video helped you out with any questions you had about screws please click the thumbs up icon I'd appreciate that click subscribe while you're down there looking for the thumbs up and that will subscribe you directly to our channel right after you click that subscribe button the little bell icon will come up so if you want it to be notified anytime we posted something new click that Bell icon and that will allow you to set up notifications to our YouTube account or our channel other things you can do you can follow me on Facebook Twitter we always are accepting donations as well to help make these videos and we've got a patron account and a PayPal account set up and there's links to all that stuff in the description below the video so thanks again for watching and I'll see you in the next onehi I'm Shannon from host improvements comm and my video today I just want to talk about screws the type different types of screws threads the drives the heads and even some sizes just some basic DIY knowledge of both screws so I've got a bit of a lineup here of a few different types of screws kind of starting from right to left we've got a stainless steel screw okay so it might be something that you use outside or in a shower that sort of thing so this one's stainless steel this screw here is a metal roofing screw so it's got a rubber washer on here and this particular one is for going into wood so screw a metal sheet onto wood okay and here we've got a truss head screw or a pocket screw so it's kind of got a larger washer all pre attached to it for good holding power so it doesn't pull through the material you're attaching so that'd be usually wood or that sort of thing here we've got a well would be it this is a brand name tapcon we're not sponsored by them or anything but this would be a concrete screw so you would pre hole the or pre-drill appropriate size hole through the material you're trying to fasten and into the concrete and then thread this into place so it's got pretty aggressive threads but they're pretty sharp and they thread right into two concrete right here we've got a what's getting to be very common structural type screw so it's a very heavy shank really coarse threads again quite a big head on it to reduce the amount of pull through that you might get and good you know it doesn't shear off or snap off easily so that's a structural screw again that'd be normally used in wood this here is a finishing screw or headless screw so for doing some if you wanted to do some trim work where you want to use screws it's got a very small head which is easier to fill that little hole hole in in it afterwards here we've got a common deck screw so these this is some of the first screws that came out kind of called deck screws just got a bit of a coating on it that is okay in most woods except for pressure-treated lumber if you were going to use pressure-treated lumber then these next two screws would be screws you'd want to choose either these or a stainless steel screw but these ones have a coating on them that isn't affected by the chemicals used pressure treat lumber so they're acq approved so they can be used in pressure treated lumber this one here I don't think this one's actually ACQ approved but again it's just a little smaller gauge screw that could be used outdoors here's a typical drywall screw so this is a coarse threaded one that's a typical length for standard half-inch drywall applications and over here a lot of people don't think of these as screws but this is actually a machine screw a lot of people think of it as a bolt but it's it's really a machine screw so this this type of screw would be turned into either a knot or a threaded hole usually in in metal but it can be used to clap piece two pieces of wood together to sew so those are kind of your type quite a few of the more common types of screws that you're gonna see as a DIY er another kind of common type I should have this one out here here's just a plain old zinc wood screw okay so for some interior work or whatever that would be perfectly fine if you're going to use it outside you need a screw outside then you'd want to go to a deck screw or one of the CQ approved quoting screws okay now threads when we talk about threads you basically have fine thread actually this is a good example these two drywall screws here you have a fine thread right here so they're just a lot more closely spaced together as opposed to this coarse thread one where they're a little further apart so in the drywall world this fine thread screw would be used if you're attaching drywall to metal studs for example where this one would be used if you're attaching it to wood other places where fine or coarse threaded screws might make a difference is if you're doing some kind of woodworking project usually uh for any kind of project usually you want to use a fine thread screw wood screw or whatever into hard wood or into metal where the coarser thread screws would be soft woods or ply woods for example okay so that's kind of your threads yeah okay so you'll find quite a variance of different drives that need to be used so that is that is the type of head that they have as far as the driver you need to to drive that that particular screw in so I'm from Canada and typically speaking in Canada our most common screw head or drive is the Robertson okay now this is much like the square drive that you guys will have in the US but it's better it's the Robertson head has a little bit more of a taper to it which grips the screw better I find a lot of times with square drive drivers and screws you'll put the screw on your drill turn around to put it wherever you're going to do it and screw falls off it doesn't just doesn't grip on there where Robertson is shaped a little differently and it kind of fits on there tighter and it doesn't fall off your driver easy so that that would be a Robertson or square drive over here we've got can you see that we've got a Philips so it's kind of a X shaped Drive so that's that would be called the Philips Drive here we've got what I'd say is the most dangerous driving wall and should be outlawed in my opinion is the slotted Drive so you're going to be using a slotted screwdriver if you're if you're actually trying to drive a wood screw in with a slotted screwdriver there is a very very good chance that your screwdriver is going to slip out of that little slot damage the work that you're the you know the product you're trying to screw into or stab yourself in the finger so slotted screws I generally if I come across them in a project like I'm taking some of the part I throw them away because I just won't use them and in fact I had a hard time finding a screw to use as as an example with a slotted head in it the other day when I was looking around because I didn't I just don't keep them so so slotted Philips Robertson or square drive this is just another size of Robertson or square drive most of these heads will all come in our drivers will all come in three different sizes this one here being a number two or a number 8 pair sorry number two or a red Robertson is the most common size you're gonna use index screws and that sort of thing what do we got here so here we have a bit of a combination you could drive this with either a Phillips or Robertson or a square drive with this particular one I think I skipped over this one didn't I yeah I did so this this one's a Torx this is probably the best drive that you can get so this this is a very positive lock when you put that driver in there there's no slipping no stripping these ones more and more screws are coming out with that so yeah the torque head style what do we got here again this is another combination one so it's a Philips and a Robertson type head put together so this one here is a hex drive so you'd be using like a nut driver or that sort of thing to fit the head that's on there again that's actually a really good head as well but you typically won't see it on a smaller screw like this it'll typically be on some more of a specialty screw there we've got a Philips again and a Robertson again so those are kind of the mean the mean drive types that you're gonna come across okay now as far as the head style and what I'm talking about there is for instance on this screw this is a flat head obviously it's really flat on the on the top and it's got a little bit of a taper on the bottom okay so these will drive in they'll drive in nice and flush to whatever you're doing or you can even drive them countersunk into your would that head and this head are very similar they're both flat but this one's more of a bugle shape that you'll find on a on a drywall screw so it's not it's got a little less taper in here it's a little more gradual and it draws in nice and flat on drywall just below the surface but without ripping the tape on drywall so it's specifically designed for that okay so we've got that again we talked a little bit about this already this head here so you've got your it's it's actually got a little bit of a dome or a pan head on the top but it's got this large surface on the backside kind of like a built in washer to help draw your whatever you're screwing down to the other piece draw it down tight with a pulling through the wood too easily again this one's the same we talked about this one earlier this one this hex drive nuts got an extra little piece here which is actually a washer a little piece of metal with a rubber washer and that's so what makes a seal when it's used on metal siding or roofing here's a round head or pan head screw so you can see it's got a little bit of a dome shape but a nice flat surface on the back so when it's screwed into the wood this part here is protruding above the surface of whatever you're screwing into but yeah it's got a good flat back to hold down tight this this one again is a bit of a is around head too it's a little more predominant from that one but basically the same function really flat on the back so those those are your basic head types that you're gonna find here here's actually another this is a little bit similar to the drywall screw with the Butte a little more of a bugle shape on the back but this one here has can still be so the difference between this and this is this one can still be driven in pretty much flush or just below the surface of the material you're screwing into for instance on deck stair treads where you want some screws maybe to hold the wood down to a metal stringer this drives in nice and flush to the top doesn't stick up and isn't hurt on the feet where this one doesn't it's got that a little bit of a bulge that would stick up there okay so that's those ones then the other other thing to just touch on before we wrap up is different sizes of screws so I don't know about all around the world but in America Canada in the US basically be a number sizing system so the numbers the smaller the number like a number four which is what the screw would be is smaller than the number six which is what that one would be okay and then you go to say number eight and we're we're not talking about the length at all because obviously those are different too we're talking about the actual shank diameter so the actual overall diameter of the thread so right here we'd have four six eight this one here is probably a 10 I would guess and but basically they'll go right from I'm not even sure like a number three probably to 14 something like that so they just increase in in diameter as far as the shaft goes shaft here okay so that's the sizes deciding what size you need for most cases in construction you're going to be using a number eight likely if you're gonna be maybe screwing some hinges on or some some fine little work then you're gonna need a little bit smaller screw right now some screws will have different points so can make this out can you see this little little split in the point there okay can you kind of see that little split looks like a little kind of looks like a flue flute in a drill bit or something like that I don't know if any of these show it any better no none of them do well that little this little split there actually helps with drilling the screw into the wood so as you're turning it in that little split is helping to thread it in and create the hole there and clear the wood chips out so somehow that some don't know if that one's any easier to see probably not that's kind of got a little one right here - okay we're posed - this one doesn't have that anywhere right but you can see on this one that the the first few threads are kind of chisel like they they kind of do what that does it just helps helps it thread in there here's one that's self tapping so this this screw here actually is designed to usually hold wood to metal so this end here is a drill bit on it so it'll actually drill us its own hole through the metal if it's not too thick and then these threads will actually thread themself into it so I would say up to I don't know maybe up to an eighth of an inch of the most they would work on okay so that's just a little bit about the tips of them and kind of how they work I think I covered really all the basics should answer a lot of questions because I know when you go into the hardware store and you get to the fastener or the screw I'll and you look and you've got you're in a big-box store you can as far as you can see there's screws down both sides of the aisle and it gets a little bit a little bit I don't know what the right word is overwhelms you a little bit right you know you're coming in you wanted to screw it up some deck boards on but now you see there's a thousand choices down this aisle or more and now you don't know what to do and then when you finally find the section that says deck screws all sudden you've got a C Q you've got just these standard ones you know you alson you've got choices even within that subject so hopefully this kind of helps you determine a little bit better what kind of screws what type sizes that sort of thing that you need for your specific project so I hope the video helped you out with any questions you had about screws please click the thumbs up icon I'd appreciate that click subscribe while you're down there looking for the thumbs up and that will subscribe you directly to our channel right after you click that subscribe button the little bell icon will come up so if you want it to be notified anytime we posted something new click that Bell icon and that will allow you to set up notifications to our YouTube account or our channel other things you can do you can follow me on Facebook Twitter we always are accepting donations as well to help make these videos and we've got a patron account and a PayPal account set up and there's links to all that stuff in the description below the video so thanks again for watching and I'll see you in the next one\n"