Tiger Claw Hidden Deck Fasteners

Hidden Deck Fasteners for All Lumber Types

Anyone who has experience with building a deck knows that the materials used to fasten the decking will directly affect the quality of the finished deck. The decking material can be the finest cedar or teak, but if the fasteners used are low quality or improperly used, that fine wood will suffer – and the deck will suffer in turn. Composite materials are equally affected by choice of fastener. The fact is that screws and nails – the traditional materials used to assemble decks – cannot help but compromise the wood or composite decking. Over time, through hard weather, the deck shows its flaws.

The deck that is installed with traditional nails or screws will, over time, show wear. The holes formed by the nails or screws will compromise the integrity of the boards. The wood may rot; the composite may begin to wear badly. Even though deck materials are selected because they are resistant to rotting and are meant to last a long time, the fact is that traditional fasteners dig into the wood or composite, thus creating the perfect environment for rot. The solution to this problem is the Tiger Claw hidden deck fastener, which reduces dramatically the space on each piece of decking that is exposed this way. The Tiger Claw fastener makes it possible to build the strongest and most beautiful decks in the world.

The Tiger Claw fastener is ingeniously designed to marry decking boards to one another without leaving fastened areas exposed to the elements. This means, among other things, that the Tiger Claw won’t rust. It means that water or snow will not collect in a nailbed – causing rot. Significantly, the Tiger Claw also eliminates one of the biggest problems with decking, which is concern about boards splitting. Boards often split at the areas where nails or screws have been installed – but if there are no nails or screws, there’s no risk of splitting.

The Tiger Claw fastener was developed by two brothers who’d grown up around the construction industry and were well-aware of the flaws inherent in traditional deck building methods and equipment. Don and Dave Martel knew that developing an invisible deck fastener had already been done – but they also understood that the designs on the market weren’t easy to work with and were expensive, to boot. In 1998, the Martels discussed the problem with a good friend who was a mechanical engineer, David Hartman, and Hartman saw that the problems could be solved. The three men worked together and designed prototypes, which were successful; the design was patented in 2000 and the Tiger Claw has since then become an essential building tool for construction companies and DIY homeowners across the U.S.

The Tiger Claw is easier to use than most other deck fasteners, even traditional nails and screws, because it avoids the question of damage incurred during installation that’s a constant concern with traditional fasteners. It also leads to an easy-to-maintain finished deck. Because there are no nails or screws to pop up or come loose, seasonal maintenance is a snap; corrosion isn’t an issue; and cupping is reduced significantly. The finished deck is easily swept clean, shoveled off, or hosed down without concern.