About This Project

FINISH:

BRIGHT:  there is no coating to protect the steel and the fastener is susceptible to corrosion if exposed to high humidity or water; not recommended for exterior use or in treated lumber, and only for interior applications where no corrosion protection is needed; often used for interior framing, trim and finish applications.

HEAT TREATED : heated up to extreme temperatures and then cooled quickly; produces very hard steel that can be used with hardened materials such as concrete and masonry; process does not protect the fastener from corrosion; recommended for interior applications where no corrosion protection is needed.

PHOSPHATE COATED : used to reduce friction during installation and increase corrosion protection; produced by dipping in an aqueous solution of zinc or manganese acid phosphate; has dark grey to black finish providing a surface that binds well with paint and joint compound with minimal corrosion resistance; most often found on drywall fasteners; recommended for interior use only and not in treated lumber.

VINYL COATED : a slick vinyl coating helps ease driving of the fastener–when the fastener is driven, it’s briefly heated by the friction and quickly cools down, hardening the vinyl coating; offers some extra holding power but does not protect the fastener from corrosion; recommended for interior applications where no corrosion protection is needed.

ELECTRO GALVANIZED : zinc plating process in which a layer of zinc is bonded to steel in order to protect against corrosion; smooth, shiny finish–generally used in areas where minimal corrosion protection is needed.

HOT DIPPED GALVANIZED : most common method of galvanization where iron, steel are coated with a thin zinc layer, by passing the metal through a molten bath of zinc that results in very high corrosion resistance suitable for some acidic and treated lumber, generally good for the lifetime of the application; typically used in outdoor applications–meets ASTM A153