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My plumber said he'd never use pocket screws on a load-bearing wall.
We were fixing a busted pipe in a 1950s house in Tacoma last week, and he pointed at a stud I'd just patched. He argued a glued and nailed scarf joint is the only right way, saying pocket screws can't handle long-term shear. I've used them for years on non-structural stuff, but now I'm second-guessing. Where do you all stand on using pocket screws for structural repairs?
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the_harper1mo ago
Honestly, I gotta disagree with the plumber on this one. I've seen pocket screws used in plenty of old house repairs that are still solid decades later. The key is using them with glue and not skimping on the number of screws. For a stud patch in a wall that's already locked in place by sheathing, that joint isn't going anywhere. It's not like we're building a whole new beam.
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phoenixw111mo ago
Listen to your plumber, he's right. Pocket screws are basically just clamps for glue, they don't add real shear strength like proper nails or bolts.
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Can't handle long-term shear" seems a bit extreme. I've seen pocket screw joints hold up fine for years in plenty of walls. @phoenixw11 might be right in a perfect world, but most repairs just need to be good enough.
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