brad nailer and wainscotting

Does it make sense to rent a brad nailer / air compressor to do wainscotting in a large living room, or I will be just fine using hammer and finishing nail ? And when you shoot with a brad nailer do you have to aim for the studs or you could just cross shoot anywhere onto the drywall ?

Reply to
JW
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yes, if you don't own one

it would be fine..........but take longer

I don't think the studs are running horizontally unless it would be a "railing" instead of a wall.

if your wall does NOT have blocking for wainscoting I suggest you use liquid nail on the back of each piece before nailing into drywall. be careful for wires and pipes and do NOT use brads longer than 1 1/4" (to be on the safe side).

Reply to
David J

If you do rent, get a finish nailer, not a brad nailer.

I have no idea of the cost, but for the rental cost compared to how many nails you must drive, I'd use a hammer.

That said, do you have use for a compressor around the house? You only need a small one, but it may be handy to have for inflating tires, toys, air mattresses, etc. Porter Cable has some low priced kits at about $250 with everything you need. When the job is done, keep the compressor and sell the nailer on eBay. If the price is right, I'll buy it from you.

Yes, aim for the studs. Ed snipped-for-privacy@snet.net

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Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

If you can borrow a compressor, you can buy a brad nailer at Harbor Frieght for about $20..

I have one of these cheapos and it works fine, may not last for ever but what the heck..

Steve

Reply to
Steve

I, too, have the cheapo brad nailer from Harbor Freight and it made a big difference in my trim work.

No longer do I have to line up the trim, hold it in place, tap the nail in, and set it with a punch. The work with the pneumatic nailer makes the work

500% faster at least!!

Not that I feel strongly about it.

Reply to
Larry Davick

it would be fine..........but take longer

I don't think the studs are running horizontally unless it would be a "railing" instead of a wall.

if your wall does NOT have blocking for wainscoting I suggest you use liquid nail on the back of each piece before nailing into drywall. Nail into all studs when possible. be careful for wires and pipes, and do NOT use brads longer than 1 5/8" (to be on the safe side).

Reply to
Handy Andy

amazon has a Senco finish nailer and brad nailer packaged together for $250. It sure makes my life easier. Hammering trim is harder than it looks.

Reply to
Buck Turgidson

Of course they aren't, but don't you think once a stud is found you can nail the trim every 16" and catch the next one? Or use a stud finder? Ed

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Can you kindly explain what is the difference between a finish nailer and a brad nailer ? which one is stronger and can the stronger one handle smaller jobs ?

Reply to
JW

Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge. I really appreciated it.

Reply to
JW

I am not an expert but I'll take a stab. My finish nailer shoots finish nails (15 gauge) up to about 2 1/2 inches. It's great for baseboards, crown moulding, window casings, etc.

The brad nailer only shoots nails up to 1 1/4 inches at 18 gauge, which is thinner than 15 gauge. It is probably more appropriate for more decorative and ornamental work of a smaller nature. For example, I just did some panelling in the basement, and used the brad nailer for the panel corner caps, etc. A finish nailer would have been overkill.

THis is what Santa Claus brought me:

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Reply to
Buck Turgidson

How about an electric brad nailer? IF you go this route, get the shortest 12 gauge extention cord you can use, or make one up using #12 romex or SJ-something cord. Electric nailers use a tremendous amount of current for 1/2 a cycle, and the resistance in the extention cord can drastically reduce the brad penetration.

Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

I don't know of anyone that actually liked the electric nailers. Never set the heads properly, will not take a long enough brad, etc.

One idea that I liked was buying a cheap nailer from Harbor Freight. I normally don't recommend cheap tools, but for a one time job, it is probably cheaper than renting and there is no rush to get it back to the store. . Ed

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

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