I need to replace some of my house outside paneling that is cedar (1'x9 1/4"x various lengths). I was thinking of using wood screws because some of the new boards are cupped and the screws will pull the boards up tight to the wall. Can I use my nail gun? If so, are there any nails that would hold the panel tight against the wall? Also can I get galvenized or non rust nails? I have over 100 panels to repair or replace so a nail gun sure would be faster. Any ideas? Thanks CB
Siding nails are normally recommended to be ring-shanked and are available in galvanized (or stainless if you want spend the big bucks); look at any supplier for the particular nailer, assuming of course, it's appropriate for the purpose (that is, a finish nailer or roof mailer aren't)...
Hot-dipped galvanized ring-shank nails (not sure what size you need.) Electro-galvanized is not good enough. You can probably find stainless steel nail sticks but that seems kind of overkill to me.
You've gotten some really bad advice, you never use galvanized with cedar.
The zinc in galvanized nails reacts chemically with cedar and redwood. Nail manufacturers recommend that you go with aluminum or stainless steel fasteners when you're using either of these woods.
The siding that I have removed has been on the house since 1972. The builder used galvanized nails only. All were 2 1/2 inches long and I saw no reaction between the nails and the cedar. Give me a reference to the info you have. Thanks...
Nails Hot-dipped galvanized, aluminum and stainless steel nails are all corrosion-resistant and all can be used to nail Western Red Cedar. Other types of nails, such as electroplated, are not recommended. They can rust and disintegrate and react adversely with the natural preservative oils present in cedar, resulting in stains and streaks.
I would use stainless, I should have used stainless, my cedar is rust stained where galvanised failed fast. Had to stain cedar real dark to hide it. A few extra bucks for thousands less in future agravation. Since mine are rusting away I guess in 10-30 the siding will fall off
Here's a pretty good description of the process of the various galvanizing processes. Part of the problem is there's too much similarity between the names it doesn't sound as though there should be much difference in the results. Unfortunately, there is a significant difference in how well/long they will last.
My personal opinion is that even the hot-dipped galvanized pneumatic nails don't have the "stay power" of hand nails because they have to ensure they are of more uniform size and smoothness in order to drive w/o jamming the nailer excessively. Hence, while I have no hard data, my feeling is the pneumatic-galvanized don't have the equivalent coating of good quality loose nails.
Be particularly wary of pneumatic nails galvanizing process if you go that route -- many of them are only electroplate, especially be certain to use a "name" brand, not some Harbor Freight or other no-name generic.
Here's a link to a page for Bostitch fasteners -- I'd double-check the actual Bostitch catalog to make absolutely I had the correct part number before ordering for any nailer (of course, you'll have to order fasteners compatible w/ the particular nailer you choose). I posted this link because it shows there's only about a 20% premium for SS which isn't that much of a premium for near certainty.
Thanks, I will do further research. I have also received answers from the rec.woodworking site. Interesting how many different opinions there are. I really appreciate all the help I am getting though. Chuck
Yeah, you know the saying about opinions, I'm sure... :)
The key is how good is the galvanizing (combined w/ what the locale and weather are plus even which side of the house it is can make all the difference in the world as to how badly it weathers).
As noted, I don't have any way to quantify differences, but I'm quite convinced (there go those opinions again! :) ) the preponderance of imported nails has resulted in the general quality being significantly lower than when your house was built 30 years ago or so.
Undoubtedly there are "equivalently good" available but not likely at the Borg; we're too small to have one of the national box stores but the chain lumber and hardware stores have nothing on the shelves that aren't Chinese imports any longer for common fasteners (they may be indirect via Canada or some other vendor, but if you look carefully you'll find the country of origin is almost universally China).
As noted, the complaint (for lack of better word) on the nailer nails vis a vis loose is simply observation of having used a bunch of both. I've not tried to do any in-depth research to the actual specifications of the various manufacturers such as Bostitch, Senco, Hitachi, etc., on their various nails but I suppose it's probably out there somewhere in their detailed catalogs.
And, of course, there are standards from the various trade organizations and ASTM and other standards-writing/sponsoring organizations that will define actual performance tests and criteria, etc. I've not looked into them, either.
In short, unless it's a huge area and/or cost is a really constraining issue, you can't go wrong w/ an extra $50 or so invested in the SS, particularly if contrast that to the overall project cost I'd think if you're really concerned about eventual bleeding.
I am going to use stainless steel screws. The guy in the rental section at HD said that in this area (SE Fla.) anything else will be a problem. He has seen it happen many times. Thanks for your input. Chuck
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