stan wrote:
On Jun 22, 3:36 pm, "Bob F" wrote:
mg wrote:
There are 6 or 8 spiral nails on our deck that will not stay down.
The boards are flat on the deck and do not appear to be cupped or
warped. But, within about 3 months of driving the nails down, they
are back up.

Should I pull the nails and replace them with the next size larger
spiral nail?

Should I pull the nails and replace them with coated deck screws?

If this is an older deck, it could be a sign that the underlying
wood is rotting.

Our deck was built with mainly hot galvanized nails, some 20 years
ago. A few planks were screwed down for easier access underneath (cos
the deck is an average of 15 inches above ground) It has P.Treated 2
by 8 joists on very substantial underpinnings and is also planked with
PT 2 by 8.
It hasn't had any such 'nail popping' problems. But if was building
today would use proper 'decking screws'. Try a few screws as
replacements of popped nails and see if the underpinnings are still
intact enough to take the fasteners ........... or if not maybe
something starting to rot or shift?

If you live in Arizona, and the OP lives in Oregon, deck life expectancies are
considerably different.