Later today, I will be at my favorite lumber yard, placing an order for the Trex™ decking we need to install five new steps/sets of steps. Of course, I also need deck boards to create a uniform platform outside of my workshop that is befitting the occupant who claimed that space as her own.
When I was planning this project, I suggested that we could use a less expensive composite decking material. Then I realized (perhaps with help) that although all of these structures are in the back yard, they are the stairs we use every single day. I think the Editor would that we deserve the same high-quality material under our feet that the mailman, the FedEx guy, the periodic salesman and every random Joe/Josephine running for office get to use.
I called the lumber yard on Monday for three reasons: 1) I needed to know in what lengths the deck boards are available. 2) I also needed to know if they could deliver these boards on Friday, if I order them later today, and 3) I was desperately hoping that better fasteners were available than the ones I had to use when I installed the decking 7 years ago.
Deck boards are available in 10, 12 and 16-foot (3, 3.6 & 4.8m) lengths. That’s perfect! An optimal mix of 12 and 16-foot boards will minimize waste on this project.
Friday delivery can be arranged for an order placed on Wednesday.
And my favorite answer:
“Oh, you were in that weird little window when they had switched from #2 square-head screws to #1 – those were awful. They have gone to a slightly larger Torx-head screw.”
The #1 square-head screws were so tiny, that two horrible things happened. First, the driver bits broke. Second, if the driver bits didn’t break, the little square recesses became round and the screw could no longer be driven in. They had to be removed with the aid of a pair of Vise-Grip pliers.
Maybe it was John Holton’s take on the “ent-ten-net” #SoCS prompt that got me thinking about combinations, permutations and combinatorics, but I couldn’t help but notice that the solution to the Trex installation problem in the use of Torx screws. Now, perhaps, you’re wondering a little less about the title, “e” vs. “o” but what’s with that hyphen? Well, when I was searching my photos for the image of the busted driver bits, I searched on “trex” and I got the image I put in next to the badge – T-Rex.
This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you have a one-liner, I’d encourage you to join in on the fun. You can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.
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