What Nailer is Best for Me?
When you’ve got to make a connection between pieces of wood and your home improvement project, nothing beats the power of a nail gun. Nailers can help join wood to wood, wood to metal and even wood to concrete with ease. But when there are hundreds of different makes and models, finding the right nailer can be difficult at best. Use this guide to nailers and get the right tool for the job every time.
Framing Nailer
These are the most common style of nail gun and work best when using a 12d, 10d, 8d or 6d nail. Because these nailers often use a large amount of fasteners to join materials together, they can come in a large stick style nail cartridge or a coil nailer. Stick nailers employ a row of nails attached one on top of the other while a coli nailer uses a large roll of nails that are joined together.
Finish Nailer
Finish nailers are designed to join wood projects using smaller finish nails. Sizes range from 8d to 4d finish nails and is used to attach smaller, more delicate wood materials together. An adjustable depth setting gauge allows the user to countersink the nail so that wood putty can cover the nail hole.
Brad Nailers
Just like a finish nailer, brad nailers use a small brad style nail to join fine materials together. These small nails are great for joining thin veneers and small pieces of trim that can only be attached using glue. While some finish nailers shoot some brad style nails, no brad nailers shoot larger finish nails.
Roofing/Siding Nailer
Using a coil nailer only, these similar nail guns shoot a roofing style nail with a large head only. From zinc finished to galvanized, roofing/siding nailers shoot a wide variety of large head nails to attach shingles and siding materials with ease. An adjustable depth setting gauge allows users to set the nail so that it doesn’t penetrate through softer materials like shingles or drive deeper through harder materials like cementious fiberboard.
Flooring Nailers
Used for wood flooring only, these pneumatic nail guns are angled at the tip to shoot a flat flooring nail at a 45 degree angle into the lip of a tongue and groove flooring board perfectly. Flooring nailers work by hitting the top plunger with a rubber flooring mallet-just like typical airless floor nailers.
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