Hello, I need to nail up some exterior trim. I'd like to use my PC 16 gauge finish nailer. The PC nails are galvanized, but on the box it says "not for exterior use'. Any idea what I could use? By the way, should I be using a
16 gauge finish nailer for exterior trim? I use it all the time inside the house. thanks.
As long as the trim isn't structural I don't see why not.
From the Paslode site, "Paslode finish nails are electro-galvanized. They should not be used in cedar, redwood or treated lumber. If they are going to be used in pine then they should be countersunk and the heads should be caulked over."
I suspect that the same is true for PC.
If you want to "do it right" use larger nails in concealed locations.
For exterior trim 16 ga. is a bit light duty. Pay attention to the manufacturer's recommendations when they tell you not for outdoor. If you like PC nailers, then get a DA250A or B and go after your outdoor trim with some Senco DA21EGBN or DA25 EGB stainless steel finish nails. The longer 15 ga. nails will work better for outdoor trim. Another plus is you don't have to worry about treated rim outside with stainless. HTH
Joe
16 gauge is a little small (~,062" dia) but 15 gauge is only .072
If your nailer shoots 2 1/2" brads you'll probably be ok... 2" is a little short.
Use SS brads, the only way to go. Unfortuantely a box of 5,000 is about $50 or more plus shipping. And the bummer is you only need a few. :(
here's where I get mine
Use galvanized indoors or for birdhouses. Get stainless steel fasteners for outdoor use and forget about ugly rusty streaks.
There's a big difference in durability between hot dipped galvanized steel and electroplated galvanized steel.
Ordinary galvanized means a very thin coating of zinc electroplated onto the metal. It's enough to keep the nails from rusting in air, or for dry interior applications, but it will rust pretty quickly outdoors.
You should be using hot-dipped galvanized nails, which have a *much* thicker zinc coating applied by dipping in liquid metal. If you can't get HDG nails suitable for your air nailer, you may have to fall back on the antique device known as a "hammer" to install them. Ordinary HDG nails should be readily available at your local building materials store, even the orange box variety. We just repaired a deck, and used HDG nails for most of it.
Stainless steel nails are even more resistant to rust, but a lot more expensive.
Dave
Stupid question, maybe: which of the two is more durable, and maybe also something about a "why"?
Thanks!
David
Finish nailers are fine for outdoor use. What is important is to get fasteners that won't (A) rust or (B) react with the wood.
Plain, uncoated steel fasteners are for indoors only. They'll rust just from water in the air; they cause some woods, like cedar, to change color; and the chemicals in pressure treated (PT) wood causes them to corrode.
Stainless fasteners are expensive, but can be used just about anywhere. They don't rust, and the don't react with strange woods or PT chemicals.
Galvanized fasteners are steel inside and coated with zinc outside. Zinc doesn't rust and doesn't react with strange woods or PT chemicals. The zinc can be put on by electroplating, resulting in a thin, smooth, shiny coat; or by dipping individual fasteners in molten zinc, usually twice, resulting in a thick, rough, dull coat. Hot-dipped fasteners are obviously better, having a thicker coat, but they cost considerably more. I don't know why they even make the electroplated fasteners. I never use them.
Check the container for recommended use. Also check the instructions that come with PT wood. Using the wrong fastener can void warranties.
Hot dipped coating is thicker and more durable for the obvious reason.
Hot dipped because the non-rusting protective zinc coating is *MUCH* thicker.
When someting is electroplated, the plating material winds up very, very thin. It is very easy to scratch thru it - a hammer hitting the head of a nail may well do that - and once the zinc is breached the steel is exposed to the elements and will begin to oxidize.
The down side of hot dipping is that the dipped object will have a rough surface...maybe even bumps of zinc here and there. Sometimes nails will be stuck together too (by the zinc). I've never found either to be a problem although with finish nails you may wind up with a slightly larger, non-round hole to fill.
Generally, electroplating results in an enhanced appearance of something but provides little protection for the underlying material.
BTW, when dealing with gold there are two types of plating...EGP (electro gold plate) and RGP (rolled gold plate). The former is self explanatory, the latter involves physically applying a thin layer of gold over the base metal. The RGP is usually much thicker but not necessarily as gold is extremely malleable and can be squished down to a thinness of one molecule. If the weight of the gold in the RGP comprises at least 1/20th of the weight of the object to which it is applied, it is "gold filled". Such an object contains 50-100,000 times more gold than EGP. Gold filled objects are quite durable; unfortunately, you see them much less frequently nowadays. Not watches at least.
Electroplated zinc fasteners are just mickey mouse junk that seemed to show up about the time big box stores appeared. No spec allows their use. And you don't even do scratch them to make them rust. One day my neighbor asked for some help and he loves home depot. I bought a box of roofing nails just by grabbing the box not realizing they weren't real roofing nails. When we got back home I got distracted and pushed them through the railing on the dead end of the deck. I found the box about a month later and the fake roofing nails were all rusted and stuck together.
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