Conventional fasteners are simply not able to live up to the same maintenance-free performance standards as Eva-Last’s decking profiles. The solution was for the company to engineer its own range of fasteners that are specifically designed to be the most high-performance fasteners available today.
The new Chain Collated decking clip – part of Eva-Last’s Hulk Fasteners range – now available in South Africa, was created to prevent corrosion, weakening and loss of binding force experienced by typical fasteners and screws, especially in outdoor applications. Constant expansion and contraction of decking boards under seasonal weather conditions has been responsible for many fasteners losing their hold on boards and deck failures in the past, but Chain Collated decking clips, with their polymer coating and stainless steel plate construction, are impervious to even the harshest weather.
The stainless steel clip skeleton is wrapped in a polypropylene coating, which forms a compressible base of each clip. The polymer coating gives each clip protection against corrosion and enables the clips to be collated together, while also providing a washer to prevent ‘ride-up’ issues and reduce the possibility of over-torquing. Chain Collated decking clips have been engineered to reduce the potential for pull-through and shear of the screw, which improves the performance of the fastening system.
The second major objective of the chain design was to create a clip system that would hide all fasteners from view to leave a flawless finish in any installation. Chain Collated decking clips fasten boards together invisibly and eliminate common problems of protruding screws, cracks, untidy aesthetics, rust marks and ruined finishes. Their design features an automatic spacer to guide neat and uniform installations even in DIY home projects.
The third and final goal was to create a truly universal fastening solution for all types of materials. This required creating a clip that could be used for installing not only Eva-Last grooved decking boards but all third-party timber and composite materials. Chain Collated decking clips can therefore be used with any deck board of any depth and groove design from any manufacturer.
Ease of Installation
While meeting these objectives solved the pressing problems in fastener design, Eva-Last went a step further by introducing a means to improve the installation process by making it simpler and quicker.
Chain Collated decking clips allow for more efficient installation thanks to its collated clip design with a preloaded screw. The clips are installed using a specialised hand tool engineered specifically for this purpose. The adaptable hand tool is easy to load, allowing full control of depth and torque. Each clip magazine slides into the hand tool via the guide and the hand tool fits against the board groove, correctly positioning the clip and screw for fastening. After fastening, the hand tool is rotated away from the clip to tear it off from the remainder of the collation. Once a full row has
been installed, the next board is slid under the spring of the installed clips, using gentle tapping of a mallet to ensure the next board is fully engaged.
What’s more, with a depth control plate and fixing bit, you are able to reduce installation errors and over-torquing. Ergonomically designed for ease of use and simple loading of collated clips, the chain hand tool is designed to allow precise fastening work while improving speed and accuracy of
installation.
Chain collated clips are made to provide long-lasting, consistent and reliable grip on decking boards, creating an adaptable and innovative fastening solution that not only ensures rock-solid installations but allows for flexible, easy post-installation access. It is simple and quick to remove or change boards and then re-fasten.
It’s clear that the Chain Collated decking clip saves both time and money, since contractor installation time can be reduced with no compromise to decking quality.
Packaging
Chain Collated decking clip come in packs of 150 (10 strips of 15 clips with preloaded screws – coverage of 6m2–9m2 ) and packs of 900 (60 strips of 15 clips with preloaded screws – coverage of 36m2–54m2 ) with metal and timber substructure options. The hand tool is available with a depth control bit.