Educate me on Nail Guns for Trim Work

[FRUNKenstein]

OK, we are getting to the end of 5 months of remodeling the first floor of our house. Basement will be up next, but probably not for another year (we need a friggin' break). I need to install some base trim and chair rail to wrap up the current round of remodeling. I have a decent miter saw, but in the past have always used finish nails with a center punch to get the nail heads flush with the trim board. All of the professionals use nail guns, though. I already have a compressor in the garage, so I'd just need a really long air hose to attach to a nail gun.

I walked through the tool aisle at Home Depot yesterday and saw nail guns ranging from $99 to about $300. I don't really know anything about nail guns, other than I had a contractor once who shot one through his foot when we finished our basement back in 1998 (I strongly suspect alcohol was involved as I'd find empty beer and whiskey bottles down there). Are there different guns for specific jobs? Roofers use nail guns - are they the same as the guns used for finish work on trim? Since I won't be doing a ton of trim work, I don't need a super heavy-duty commercial grade nail gun. I'm just really looking more for general advice and tips on whether to buy one and what type.

[5chn3ll]

1) Don't buy one from Harbor Freight.
2) The cheaper ones typically only shoot brads; more expensive ones shoot bigger loads (developer note: need appropriate emoji). If all you really need is something to shoot 5/8" brads, it's OK to buy the cheapest one that meets your needs. Just not from HF.
3) Ensure you don't buy a nailer that exceeds the air delivery of your compressor. It sucks wandering around with a hammer and center punch to fix all the brads the compressor couldn't quite drive home.
4) Don't defeat the safety features of your nail gun. I spent part of one rainy Christmas Day detaching my pop from the bay window to which he had nailed himself. With a framing nailer.

[5chn3ll]

Working on finding a decent fastener size chart - so you can get an idea of which gun will shoot the fastener size(s) you need.

This is WAY more fun than working.

[gnat]

Tell us how you really feel about HF nail guns. I mean what could possibly go wrong with a cheaply made shrapnel holder trying to contain 100psi+?





P.S. It is in the fine print of all pneumatic nail guns that if you are male you are required to disable all the safety features.

P.P.S. Treat any unknown nail gun like you would fire arm.

[FRUNKenstein]

Yes, I have to say that I am bored today.

I need gnat to give me another one of those "Explain your answer in 2,000 words or more. Show your work." assignments.

[FRUNKenstein]

Tell us how you really feel about HF nail guns. I mean what could possibly go wrong with a cheaply made shrapnel holder trying to contain 100psi+?

P.S. It is in the fine print of all pneumatic nail guns that if you are male you are required to disable all the safety features.

P.P.S. Treat any unknown nail gun like you would fire arm.

Words of wisdom, all.

(did I mention that there's a HF store about a mile away, right next to the Mexican grocery where we go for tacos at lunch? mmmm, tacos.)

[5chn3ll]

The last "bargain" I bought from HF was a stainless wire wheel cup for an angle grinder. The time I spent plucking stainless steel wires from my arms with a pair of pliers gave me the opportunity to reflect on the net value I derived from the $5 saved.

[Dr_Strangelove]

I used a basic DeWalt pneumatic nail gun that I borrowed from my neighbor when I did my baseboards a few years ago. It couldn't have been one of the fancy ones, I'd venture to guess it was one of the $100 models. I used 1.25" finishing nails and they did the trick. Just be prepared they have quite a kick behind them so you'll likely have to go around the perimeter and do some touch-up on the little divots they may create. I just used the caulk I was sealing the seams with and then did some finishing touch-up painting over the dried caulk. At the very least you'll have to touch-up paint over the nail heads. In my house you'd have to get on your hands and knees with your nose right up to the boards to find where the nails were covered up. A pro would probably tell you to use a putty or spackle that is meant for the purpose but the caulk was fine for me.


Oh and it was very safe to handle; you'd really have to be drunk to go through your foot


Edit: Neighbor texted me back and confirmed this is the gun he has: https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-18-G ... cale=en-US

[32wildbilly]

The question I have is: the pliers you used for surgery were they also from HF?

The last "bargain" I bought from HF was a stainless wire wheel cup for an angle grinder. The time I spent plucking stainless steel wires from my arms with a pair of pliers gave me the opportunity to reflect on the net value I derived from the $5 saved.

[02TX996Cab]

My recommendations for what to get:

• A nail gun specifically for finishing nails. Something that'll handle up to 2" nails, either 18 gauge or 16 gauge, will be fine. All of my nail guns are Porter Cable pneumatics.

• Plenty of the correct length and gauge nails. For trim work you'll want at least 1.5" (1/2" drywall, at least 1/2" trim pieces, and you want some good purchase of the nails in the studs behind the drywall.

• If the nail gun doesn't come with a small bottle of pneumatic tool oil, get some unless the gun you purchase specially says it is a oil-free one. Put a few drops of oil into the air inlet of the gun once or twice a day.

• If your compressor is a long way from where you'll be nailing, you may want to get a pressure regulator to put close to where you'll be working. You won't want to be running back and forth to the compressor to adjust the pressure (which is what you fiddle with to adjust the depth below the surface the nail head will sit).
  
  When you add up the cost of a bunch of air line (and possibly the regulator), a small pancake compressor (with a pneumatic nailer) or a battery-operated nailer may be a less expensive option.

• You'll still need your trusty hammer, nail set ("center punch") and wood putty. But at least you oughtn't be filling half-moon shaped dents where you missed nails whilst nailing them all in manually...