Fascia or riser are usually fastened with a different type of screw that's often shorter than what's used for decking, because of the board profile and orientation. Since fascia is not structural, it can be thinner, and therefore doesn't need as long of a screw. The drawback that comes with thinner fascia boards is their flexibility, which means it requires different screw spacing and screw types.
Toploc 1-5/8" fascia screws are a unique screw designed for Azek PVC fascia, but will also work wonders in decking with peculiar cap materials.
Although not mentioned by the manufacturers, we recommend these Toploc screws for Deckorators Surestone fascia and Wolf Serenity PVC fascia.
The head and reverse threads aren't as dramatic as a composite decking screw, but they behave similarly by cleanly cutting the cap material and preventing bulging. If you use a trim head screw for Surestone fascia, you'll get a curly-q and a slightly bulged area around the screw. The Toploc screw head also looks much nicer than a large 1/2" Deckfast fascia screw head. If you use a trim head screw on Wolf fascia, the denser composition may bulge slightly, and the cap may turn white under the pressure (unless these Toploc screws are used).
Screw pattern: 3 screws every 12" on a 12" piece of fascia
1-5/8" trim head screws are a small, countersink-head screw that can be installed in PVC fascia with no pre-drilling required. They are available with different colored heads, so that they blend in with the color of low-maintenance fascia boards. Compatibility: Only recommended for PVC. When used on Surestone, they may create extra material shavings around the head that are hard to remove. If used on capped composite, they generally will be difficult to drive in, and the screw head either won't drive down, or it will sink in and bulge the material and/or break the head off. If used on composite and you pre-drill, it may work but these are a smaller screw diameter and may break off, and the gray filler around the head may be visible.
Screw pattern: 3 screws every 12" on a 12" piece of fascia.
Wide-head composite screws are a heftier screw designed to hold denser WPC fascia and riser boards in place, while allowing the boards to move slightly.
The thermal movement of composite material cannot be mitigated as easily as PVC, and some movement should be allowed. They "hang" the fascia up more than they suck the board tight against the framing, to allow for movement.
Compatibility: Can be used with any type of fascia material, but is typically only used and recommended for wood-plastic composite, due to slimmer screws being usable for PVC.
Screw pattern: These screws always require pre-drilling. These should be spaced in a W-pattern with a screw every 8", or stacked with 2 fasteners every 12" depending on the manufacturer. Check the manufacturer's fascia installation guide for details on yours specifically.
