Bolts, Nuts, Screws and Anchors in New Kingston: What Drives the Cost

A screw is cheap. Redoing a job because the screws rusted, or the anchor pulled out of the wall, is not. So the real cost of a fixing comes down to four things: the metal and its coating, its size, how many you buy, and whether it suits the wall or the weather it goes into. Get those right and you're far less likely to buy twice. Work those out before you shop, whether that's at Malcolm's Hardware in Cross Roads or anywhere else.

Key Takeaways

• The metal and its coating decide how well a fixing stands up to rust, so match them to where it goes.
• Simpson Strong-Tie, a fastener maker, rates plain electroplated zinc as low for corrosion resistance, Class D hot-dip galvanising as medium, and Type 304 and 305 stainless steel as high.
• The same maker treats exterior work as wet service and ocean and waterfront sites as severe, and recommends Type 300 series stainless steel when you're unsure.
• Mixing metals can cost you: water plus two dissimilar metals in contact can cause galvanic corrosion.
• Count before you shop. Buying the right number once beats two trips across town.

What drives the cost of a fastener?

Four things to weigh. Two screws can look the same and be made for very different jobs.

The fastener maker's catalogue we lean on below advises you to always consider the importance of the connection, as well as the cost of maintenance and replacement. A screw holding a picture frame and a bolt holding a gate don't deserve the same budget.

Which coating do I need?

Indoors and dry, a basic zinc plated screw usually does the job. Outdoors, step up the protection. By the sea, use the most corrosion-resistant fixing you can.

The fastener maker Simpson Strong-Tie's Fastening Systems catalog (C-F-2025) sorts fixings by where they'll live. The catalogue calls interior work dry service, though it notes that dry places can still carry airborne salts. It calls exterior work wet service. It treats marine sites, with airborne chlorides, salt air and some salt splash, as severe.

The catalogue rates electroplated zinc as a low level of corrosion resistance. In the ASTM B117 salt spray test, it says blue-bright zinc gives at least 36 hours and yellow zinc at least 72 hours before the first red rust. That's a lab test, not a forecast of how long a screw will last on your wall, but it shows why the catalogue rates it low. It puts Class D hot-dip galvanising at a medium level of corrosion resistance and Type 304 and 305 stainless steel at a high level. At the severe level it lists Type 316 stainless steel and the heavier Class C hot-dip galvanising. It says Type 316 stainless steel suits severe environments, especially those with chlorides, such as salt.

Treated timber changes the picture. The catalogue says some wood preservative chemicals are corrosive to steel connectors and fasteners, and for some treated wood its classifications run higher than for untreated wood. It says the supplier of preservative-treated wood should give you the details of the treatment, so ask before you choose fixings for a treated-timber fence or gate.

One more thing from the same catalogue: don't paint stainless steel fasteners. It says flaws or damage in the paint can let dirt and water collect against the metal and start corrosion, and that painting usually doesn't improve stainless steel's corrosion resistance.

Why does mixing metals matter?

Because the wrong pairing can eat one of the parts. The same catalogue says galvanic corrosion happens when two electrochemically dissimilar metals touch in the presence of an electrolyte, such as water. Its chart of metals puts zinc and aluminium towards the end that corrodes, and Type 304 and 316 stainless steel, in their passive state, near the end that's protected.

Its advice is to use fasteners with similar electrochemical properties to the parts they hold, to separate dissimilar metals with insulating material, and to stop water pooling around the joint. So before you fix a galvanised bracket or an aluminium frame outdoors, match the screw or bolt to that metal.

Which anchor for which wall?

Start with the wall, not the anchor. Here's the order we'd suggest:

1. Find out what the wall is made of. Drill a small test hole somewhere it won't show. If the bit suddenly pushes through with little resistance, you've probably hit a hollow space inside a block, and that needs a different anchor from solid concrete.
2. Weigh up the load. A light shelf, a heavy cabinet and a gate post are three different jobs.
3. Write down both answers, plus whether the fixing is indoors or out and the screw or bolt size you plan to use, and give that list to whoever sells you the anchor.
4. Drill the hole to the size the anchor's packet gives, and clear the dust out before the anchor goes in.

If the job is a grille or burglar bars, the fixings carry the whole point of the work. Our comparison of grilles, burglar bars and roll-down shutters goes through those options.

How do I avoid buying twice?

The dearest fastener is the one you have to go back for. A few habits keep it to one trip:

• Bring an old screw or bolt with you if you're replacing one. Holding it up against a new one is quicker than guessing the size.
• Count every fixing on the job, then add a few spare for the ones that drop or strip.
• Match the nuts and washers to the finish of the bolts, so you don't end up mixing metals.
• For a big job, write the list down and ask for a quotation on the whole order.
• Call ahead to check which sizes and finishes are on the shelf before you travel.

Hurricane season is the other reason to buy ahead. Our hurricane season hardware checklist covers what to have on hand before a storm warning goes up.

Fixings for a New Kingston job

New Kingston is one of the two districts that make up the central area of Kingston, alongside the historic Downtown, according to Wikipedia's article on Kingston. Our store is at 44-46 Slipe Road in Cross Roads.

A shelf in an apartment and a sign outside an office need the same three answers before you leave: whether the fixing is inside or out, what the wall is made of, and how much weight it has to carry. Have those answers ready, and call ahead to check what's on the shelf. Our New Kingston page has more for customers coming from that side of town.

Frequently Asked Questions