Is it important to use special fasteners in treated wood for non-structural applications

fastenerpressure-treated

I'm getting ready to install under-floor insulation in my yurt platform. These are 2" x 4' x 8' foam panels under a 1 1/8" plywood floor, between 4" x 6" 0.40 ACQ pressure treated joists. The foam panels will be held in place with lathe strips screwed in to the joists.

I have been using hot-dipped galvanized fasteners for the structure of the yurt platform until now, but is that still necessary when attaching the lathe strips that hold these insulation panels? The load on these fasteners will be minimal.

Best Answer

The hot-dipped galvanized requirement isn't for load, it's to prevent corrosion. For less load, you can get smaller nails. However, if you don't use the hot-dipped galvanized, then the chemicals in the PT lumber will cause a reaction with the metals in the nails and they will corrode much faster than if the nail was installed in non-PT lumber. Here's some more info:

http://www.strongtie.com/productuse/PTWoodFAQs.html