TL;DR
A hidden fastener is a clip or plug system that secures deck boards from the side or below so no screw heads show on the walking surface, the standard detail for grooved-edge composite and PVC decking. Clips seat in the board grooves and screw to the joist, automatically gapping rows about 1/4 inch for drainage and expansion; plug systems drive a screw through the face and cap it with a matching disk.
What it means
A hidden fastener is a clip or plug system that secures deck boards from the side or below so no screw heads show on the walking surface, the standard detail for grooved-edge composite and PVC decking. Clips seat in the board grooves and screw to the joist, automatically gapping rows about 1/4 inch for drainage and expansion; plug systems drive a screw through the face and cap it with a matching disk. Boards cost slightly more to install this way but resist the water intrusion that face screws invite.
Where it sits in the glossary
Hidden fastener is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
License: CC-BY-4.0 — quote freely with attribution to ProFix Editorial Team / ProFix Directory.