Sorry for this variation of a frequantly asked question.
I am installing homemade baseboards made from MDF. The part I have to nail through is 5/8 inch thick.
I have a compressor. I planning on getting an air nailer. Question is:
18G brad nailer or 16G finish nailer?
If I go with the 18G brad nailer, is 1.25 inch 18G brads enough or do I need 1.5 inch 18G brads?
Ditto, if I go with 16G finish nailer, what length nails?
I have a C&H 3HP/4Gal compressor, and depending on the recommendations I get for nail size and length, I am favouring a Porter Cable or Paslode nailer. (Senco is harder to find here in Toronto.)
Probably Campbell Hausfeld...I have a 4HP/13Gal, very low cost unit used almost daily & has never given me a seconds problem in about ten years set between 90 & 120PSI at the most. I am also a director & coach for our youth soccer club & use mine to inflate over 1000 soccer balls every April....great time saver, we hook up six inflator nozzles & hoses to a gang connection at once & away we go.
I find that my 18ga just doesn't have enough holding power for me when attaching baseboard or window molding, so I'd reccommend a 15 or 16 ga nailer.
As for nail length (assuming you have 1/2" wall board) a 1-1/2" nail will only give you 3/8" penetration into the 2x4 at the base of the wall. I'd go with at least a 1-3/4" nail.
For the base boards I would use a finish nailer with the longest nails available IE 2 inch and also angle your nails into the dry wall with some construction adhesive on the back because your walls will never be dead straight and the construction adhesive will help with any hold.
If you are going through both the 5/8" base and 1/2" drywall, you will want to pick up at least an inch of meat with the nail in the studs and plates. The math says that means a 2-1/2" nail (because they don't make 2-1/8" nails) but I've been happy with 2", expecting them to set the extra 1/8" according to how I set up the gun.
MDF has a habit of dimpling when it's power nailed. By that I mean that the pressure of the nail being driven has a tendency to raise the MDF a bit around the point of entry of the nail. This means that you will have to sand down all the dimples with a sand paper wrapped block
- kinda takes the fun out of air nailing.
You can eliminate most of this by using a different technique than the usual "run and gun" of the average trim man. Make sure that your air nailer sits firmly on the piece for each shot and make sure that your depth adjustment is set properly. A test piece before you get into the real deal will help you get the right settings.
I favor the heavier gauge nail for this.
BTW - I like "air nailers" but I don't like "air nails" by which I mean that you should locate your studs and shoot into them, rather than angling the nail into the rock, without regard to hitting the stud. The job is going to hold up better if you do this. It is a too common practice among trim carpenters to angle the nails in opposition to each other, only grabbing the sheetrock (with or without goober behind the trim). This is a bad practice.
Thomas J. Watson-Cabinetmaker (ret) Real Email is: tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet Website:
I just installed a bunch of MDF base ans trim. For baseboard you will need a
15 or 16 guage nailer. The 18 guage does not have enough holding power. I have both 18 and 16 guage nailers, and rarely use the 18 guage nailer. Use the longest nails that fir the gun, two inch minimum when nailing through base, drywall, and into studs. Longer will be better yet, but 2 inch will do the job fine. The MDF will raise up a bit when nailed, figure on sanding and finish painting after installation. If you use the niler for door trim nailing into wood you can get by with shorter nails, seems to me I used 1-1/2 inch when nailing the trim into the door frame, and back to 2 inch when nailing into the wall. Greg
Tom thank you for reiterating my comments. I definitely did not mean to imply not to hit the studs by any means.I have been a journeyman cabinetmaker for 20 odd years and have owned my business for just about as long. I sometimes forget that you have to explain some basic methods. And that everyone is not a cabinetmaker. One thing I really get upset about is when somebody calls me a carpenter because to me a carpenter is 9 times out of 10 just a butcher and if they had to come any closer than 1/8th of an inch would be screwed. I am sure you have been called a carpenter in the past, while in fact you are a cabinetmaker and it bugs you just as much. To me the difference between being a Cabinetmaker and being a Carpenter is like the difference between driving a well tuned car and driving a V-8 missing on 4 cylinders. I was told once and still believe this saying "a cabinetmaker will always make an good carpenter but a carpenter will seldom make a good cabinetmaker."
CHRIS
"Tom Watson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...
Something unusual about my situation. The house is built late 50's. The "drywall" starts above the floor plate. Where I have removed the old baseboards (on internal walls on first and second floors), I can clearly see what I think is the edge of the floor plate. Solid wood about 1 3/4 inches thick above the subfloor.
(New and old baseboards are 2.5 inches high. I don't think I need to nail into the drywall above the floor plate to hold the baseboards to the wall.)
Based on what I think I am hearing so far, with 5/8 baseboard plus 3/4 to 1 inch bite, I need 1 3/8 to 1 5/8 inch nails. That rules out some of the lower end brad nailers. Some 18G brad nailers do go up to 2 inch but I've heard those brads sometimes bend going in. And since I don't intend to use glue, I will need all the holding power I can get.
So, it will be 16G finish nailer with 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 inch nails. Probably will rent a Stanley Bostitch from HD to try.
I meant Campbell Hausfeld. The model I have gives me 6.2 cfm at 90 psi. Overkill for a single person slowly installing baseboards. I use it mainly for blowing out my lawn sprinkle system in the fall. For that task, it has barely enough power. E-mail me directly if you want to know more about that.
"Nailing: Best results are obtained using 18 gauge pneumatic T-nails. Air pressure should be 90-110 psi. If a rim or lip of raised material is created around the nail hole (volcano effect), remove the driver from the nail gun and remove any burrs on the tip using a fine metal file. The rim is caused by burrs on the nail gun driver pulling material out of the nail hole as the driver retracts."
Thought you might find it interesting.
Yc Tor> MDF has a habit of dimpling when it's power nailed. By that I mean
\Cab"i*net*mak`er\ (-m[=a]k`[~e]r), n. One whose occupation is to make cabinets or other choice articles of household furniture, as tables, bedsteads, bureaus, etc.
Yc wrote in news:100420042224084989%yc33com_rimove snipped-for-privacy@sympatico.ca:
Thanks Yc, for the info. I have no garden sprinkler system yet for my 90 by 40 (feet) property, although my wife installed a soaker hose system (the garden is hers, I have the basem^H^H^H^^H^Hworkshop).
I may have a need for a compressor for basic finish nailing and odds and ends, althoug I also may get into spray finishing eventually. So I am gathering info ...
If anyone cares to (again) give opinions about spray finishing equipment for a rank amateur who will only be doing this very occasionally, I'll be happy to receive any info (links especially appreciated).
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