Face-fixing
Face-fixing means fastening cladding or decking through the visible front face, not a hidden-fix clip system; the fastener grade must suit timber and exposure.
Ask Chalkline about this →Face-fixing is fastening cladding or decking with the fasteners driven through the visible front face of the board (and then sometimes filled or left exposed), as opposed to a hidden-fix clip or secret-nail system. It is the norm for hardwood and treated-pine boards, and the fastener grade has to suit the timber and the exposure.
The choice is between two approaches:
- Face-fixing: screws or nails go through the face of the board into the framing or batten. Simple, strong, holds cupping boards down flat, and the fixings can be inspected. The downsides are visible fixing heads and an entry point for water at each hole.
- Hidden (secret) fixing: clips or grooved-edge systems hold the board with no visible fastener. Cleaner look, but more expensive and less able to restrain a board that wants to cup.
For face-fixed timber the fastener detail matters a lot. The fastener grade must match the timber and the exposure: stainless steel for hardwoods (which are often acidic and corrode plain steel) and for coastal or wet exposure, and at least hot-dip galvanised elsewhere. Pre-drilling hardwood near board ends stops splitting, and the fixings should be set just below the surface (and the holes sealed or filled) so water does not sit in them.
For a builder the practical points are to pick the fastener grade for the actual timber and exposure (getting this wrong gives rust streaks and failed fixings within a season near the coast), to pre-drill dense hardwoods, and to keep gauge lines straight, because on a face-fixed wall or deck the fixings are part of the finished look.
Also known as: Face fix, face nailing, top fixing.
Category: Cladding and decking / Fixings.
Related
See also
References
- Decking screws (Chalkline) (verified 2026-06-01)
Last updated: 2026-06-01. Verified: 2026-06-01. Quarterly review for currency.