Which nailer for floor moulding?
 

Just finished a wood floor project and I have lots of walls to install
moulding on. In the past Using hammer and nails would take a lot of
banging to get the job done, which would be the right pneumatic nailer
to get...brad or finish nailer and what length?

Thanks in advance

Gil

Just finished a wood floor project and I have lots of walls to install
moulding on. In the past Using hammer and nails would take a lot of
banging to get the job done, which would be the right pneumatic nailer
to get...brad or finish nailer and what length?


Probably a 15 or 16 gauge finish nailer for baseboards, with approx. 2"
nails. 18 gauge for shoe molding.

"gil" wrote in message
oups.com...
Just finished a wood floor project and I have lots of walls to install
moulding on. In the past Using hammer and nails would take a lot of
banging to get the job done, which would be the right pneumatic nailer
to get...brad or finish nailer and what length?

Thanks in advance

Gil

I think you're better off installing the primary moulding to the wall with
regular finish nails and then using the pneumatic gun for the quarter round
on the floor and the decorative moulding on the top. That's for a
traditional three piece built-up moulding. The finish nails are a much
heavier gauge than the pneumatic nails, you can snug up the board and know
you've hit the stud. How much time do you really save using a nailgun? With
the little stuff the guns have an advantage over fiddling with tiny nails
and possibly splitting the moulding. I've been using pneumatic guns since
the late 1970s but sometimes I think we've gone overboard on their use.

"ATP*" wrote in message
...
I think you're better off installing the primary moulding to the wall with
regular finish nails and then using the pneumatic gun for the quarter
round
on the floor and the decorative moulding on the top. That's for a
traditional three piece built-up moulding. The finish nails are a much
heavier gauge than the pneumatic nails, you can snug up the board and know
you've hit the stud.

You can get pnuematic guns that fire 2"x10' nails. Do that with your hammer.

How much time do you really save using a nailgun?

Lots.

"CW" wrote in message
ink.net...

"ATP*" wrote in message
...
I think you're better off installing the primary moulding to the wall
with
regular finish nails and then using the pneumatic gun for the quarter
round
on the floor and the decorative moulding on the top. That's for a
traditional three piece built-up moulding. The finish nails are a much
heavier gauge than the pneumatic nails, you can snug up the board and
know
you've hit the stud.

You can get pnuematic guns that fire 2"x10' nails. Do that with your
hammer.

However most pneumatic fastener substitutions are far lighter in terms of
shank size than the manual nails they replace, particularly in finish nails.
Usually doesn't matter, sometimes it does. There is also less choice in
terms of length and more tendency to compromise based on what's loaded in
the gun.

I have about ten nailguns/staplers. I'm not against them in general, there
are just some things they aren't good for.

How much time do you really save using a nailgun?

Lots.

When there are lots of nails to be driven, yes.

"CW" wrote in message
ink.net...

You can get pnuematic guns that fire 2"x10' nails. Do that with your
hammer.

I don't think I could. Pretty sure that around here I couldn't find two
pieces of wood I'd need a 2"x10' nail to fasten...

--
Morris
(In Iowa where those kind of trees don't grow)

The 16-guage finish nailer is more popular since the nails are cheaper
and the head is smaller. 2" should work for the baseboard. For the
quarter-round, 18-guage brads with a length of 1-1/4" should be
sufficient. The smaller guage heads are almost invisible and are less
likely to split the trim.

On 19 Jun 2005 16:05:02 -0700, "gil" wrote:

Just finished a wood floor project and I have lots of walls to install
moulding on. In the past Using hammer and nails would take a lot of
banging to get the job done, which would be the right pneumatic nailer
to get...brad or finish nailer and what length?

Thanks in advance

Gil

"gil" wrote in news:1119222302.388724.286930
@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Just finished a wood floor project and I have lots of walls to install
moulding on. In the past Using hammer and nails would take a lot of
banging to get the job done, which would be the right pneumatic nailer
to get...brad or finish nailer and what length?

Thanks in advance

Gil


2" 18 ga brads are nasty, unpredictable things when they go astray. You
need to be able to get to the framing, through the drywall or plaster, and
have some holding power (depth). So the step up from the $100 brad nailer
to the $160 finish nailer is probably required.

Prices at HF much lower. Quality assurance variable.

DAMHIK about the 2" brads.

Patriarch

On Sun, 19 Jun 2005 20:17:38 -0400, "ATP*" wrote:

traditional three piece built-up moulding. The finish nails are a much
heavier gauge than the pneumatic nails, you can snug up the board and know
you've hit the stud. How much time do you really save using a nailgun?

I guess that depends on how much you have to do. If I have a couple
of pieces to nail I might nail them by hand. Since I'm probably going
to have to nail base in an entire house, I can't imagine doing it by
hand and I'd probably cut my wages in half by doing so.

Mike O.

2-1/2" nails, 15ga angle nailer works perfectly for baseboard.

Dav

gil wrote:

Just finished a wood floor project and I have lots of walls to install
moulding on. In the past Using hammer and nails would take a lot of
banging to get the job done, which would be the right pneumatic nailer
to get...brad or finish nailer and what length?

Thanks in advance

Gil

I think brad is fine for molding, personally I'd go 1/2" over the width of
molding you could go less dependent on quality and weight of molding (warp
and twist). With molding, I'd usually end up slipping and dinging the wood
with a hammer. What I do now is I drill holes every 16 inches and set screws
no more nails for the base board, I was going to plug the holes, but found
it looked "interesting" not too. Then shoot nails for the cap and shoe.


"gil" wrote in message
oups.com...
Just finished a wood floor project and I have lots of walls to install
moulding on. In the past Using hammer and nails would take a lot of
banging to get the job done, which would be the right pneumatic nailer
to get...brad or finish nailer and what length?

Thanks in advance

Gil

Not to get TOO far OT, but why 1/4 round (shoe)? Allways looked to me
like someone was too lazy to remove the baseboard when installing a
hardwood floor, and just tacked on some shoe moulding.
I know, I know, you need more coverage for an expansion space than
traditional moulding will cover. Why not use, or make, thicker
moulding? Anyone visiting my place will see what appears to be
traditional moulding, but it's really 1/2 x 2 with a bevel ripped into
the face and a round over at the top. I let the flooring guys spend the
3 days on their knees, but I insisted on installing the moulding myself.

On Sun, 19 Jun 2005 22:13:50 -0400, "ATP*" wrote:


"CW" wrote in message
link.net...

"ATP*" wrote in message
...
I think you're better off installing the primary moulding to the wall
with
regular finish nails and then using the pneumatic gun for the quarter
round
on the floor and the decorative moulding on the top. That's for a
traditional three piece built-up moulding. The finish nails are a much
heavier gauge than the pneumatic nails, you can snug up the board and
know
you've hit the stud.

You can get pnuematic guns that fire 2"x10' nails. Do that with your
hammer.

However most pneumatic fastener substitutions are far lighter in terms of
shank size than the manual nails they replace, particularly in finish nails.
Usually doesn't matter, sometimes it does. There is also less choice in
terms of length and more tendency to compromise based on what's loaded in
the gun.

'Scuse me, but what the heck is your baseboard TRIM holding up that a
6d nail, spaced (let's say) 2 per every 16", won't hold it secure
against the wall. Or, is it that warped that you need the industrial
fastener? Or?


I have about ten nailguns/staplers. I'm not against them in general, there
are just some things they aren't good for.

How much time do you really save using a nailgun?

Lots.

Indeed.

Renata


When there are lots of nails to be driven, yes.