Galvanized vs stainless nails for cedar cladding
smithwyatt
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
Hi,
What are the main differences ya’ll see between using galvanized nails (good ones, not the cheap stuff) vs stainless steel nails to install cedar cladding?
This is in Climate Zone 6A. Moist but not near saltwater.
Thank you!
Replies
Stainless last’s a lifetime. Galvanized will eventually rust, but the wood will rot before that happens (most often). Galvanized will stain the cedar (especially red cedar) and stain can bleed through the paint if painting. If nails are exposed definitely want to use stainless. If the nails are not exposed staining isn’t a concern. Stainless is the superior option, but galvanized should last the life of the cladding, but may not last the life of the home.
The Cedar Bureau states that stainless or hot dip galv. are both acceptable. If it were me I would go with stainless.
I used GRK trim screws for my T&G cedar siding, they're coated with climatek which is acq approved. For each row I screwed the tongue, so no exposed screw head to be seen. I think you might be able to do something similar with your cladding.
Thanks for your thoughts jlyda, Sawdust_Steve and alexwang32! Very helpful. I think we will have to face nail them because they are pretty wide. Sounds like galvanized are the way to go.
alexwang32 - I do love me some GRKs! Maybe with some beefy GRKs I could "secret nail" them and not face nail.
For perspective, if my numbers are right (6" to weather, one blind nail/stud, 16" OC), for 3,000 sq ft, it's about $100 for galvies, $200 for stainless. Probably electroplated galvies, not the best for corrosion resistance.
I just did my house in cedar shingles with stainless coil nails. After all the effort to do it right, I'd really regret not using the best nails. The incremental cost is really small. After a bit of searching, I bought 4 cases on ebay for what the galvanized would cost at retail.