I’m in the process of replacing exterior corner boards, cornices, window and door trim. The wood I am replaing is 1″ or 5/4″. I’ll be replacing the rotted/rotting pine with AZEK. I’ve got a compressor and would like to get a nail gun to speed up the process. Is a 16 gauge finish nailer the correct size tool? Also, what brands do you recommend. I’ve got a Porter Cable 18 gauge brad nailer and it’s worked fine for me. I’m tempted to stick with PC but a manufacturer’s quality isn’t always consistent across their product line.
Thank You for any suggestions and recommendations.
Replies
For larger (2" wide or larger) exterior trim I think you'd be better suited with a larger shank nail than a finish gun can/will provide. We install our exterior trim (excluding fine moldings) with a coil siding nailer and 7D or 8D ringshank galvy or SS siding nails. This goes for both 3/4 and 5/4 stock. You may want to consider using smooth shank nails instead of the ring shank with the Azek though... you'll have less back-side blow outs with the smooth shanks.
The Hitachi NV-65 AH is very good nailer for just this sort of application.
Thank You very much for the info.
You can't use finish nails for Azek on anything other than small pieces , you need a siding nailer. The hitachi is fine but I don't think that is one of their better guns. I think the makita AN 611 coil siding nailer is a much better gun. From the design to the performance, its a better gun.
For finish nailers, the porter cable is a good gun but the hitachi 16 gauge is a better gun. The prices on all the finish nailers are about the same, so get the best which is the hitachi.
Also, spend the extra money and get SS nails rather than the galv. The galv coating is only good if it is intact and whether there is a hammer hitting the nail or a driver blade from a nailer, your going to put fine cracks in the galv coating or chip it. Also with any trim, decking, fences, etc. the plastic collated nails are better than the wire ones. The wire ones usually leave little wire barbs protruding from the top of the nail head and they are a pain to deal with.
+1 on the siding nailer. On ext. trim you need nails w/heads on 'em, SS at that. Finish nails (slight head) may not hold, siding pulling through.
I must have used a lemon, I used a Makita sider for one day, that was enough, I was about to throw the damn thing across the yard, it kept jamming. I'll stick with the Hitachi
I've like every other Mak gun except that one though.
good morning Niel...
the Bostich has treated me well..Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
went to bed shortly after posting that, and this morning isn't feeling so good...
I like mine a lot. I've used an hitachi before and had the same feeling that you had about the makita. Mine will jam sometimes with the wire collated, the wire leftovers sometimes gets pinned between the driver blade and the side. I hate the wire collated though, the SS plastic are much better. Sometimes jams are from that brand of nail though. The time you tried it, it could have been a conflict between that brand of nail and the makita gun.
could have been the nails, though I tried to different brands, wire collated to start then went and bought a box of plastic, both gave me problems.
It was probably just a bum/bent driver or something else wrong with the unit.
Where can I buy 2 1/2 inch plastic collated SS Stainless nails? I've looked at at lot of online sites but haven't seen them as yet. I'm planning on getting the Bostitch N66C. From all the responses I'm assuming this is the best bet to attach Azek. I've replaced a 17-1/2 foot corner board board using screws and I need to do more. Using screws takes too much time (countersinking,predrilling,spackling, sanding, etc).
Thank You
the n66c uses wire collated
and bostich makes them in SS
we use a lot of those nails..... for redwood trim , cedar trim , pine trim they work great
if you go to a more dense material you need a stronger nail and a stronger gun
for instance, on 5/4 Miratech we use an Hitachi n75 witha SS nail witha thicker shankMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Bostitch has the N75 3" gun. Better choice than the N66? It's the same price. Half pound heavier. You pros recommend the Hitachis and Mikitas. What ever I get won't get all that much use except on my own house and I'm having trouble trying to justify the cost difference between the Bostitch and the others.
the difference between the 75 and 66 is like the difference between a framing hammer and a finish hammer.. they both have their place
the 66 has a little more finesse
the 75 has more wallop...
but you don't always need more wallopMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Didn't you recommend more wallop for the dense trim boards (Miratech)? Also, won't the 75 drive the same nails as the 66 with the exception of the shorter length?
Will I have more flexibilty and options with the 75?
I can get them for the same price.
yes , i like the 75 for Miratech.. but is that what you are using for trim ?
i don't know if they use the same nail in both guns... i'd check it outMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I'm using AZEK. I went to the Bostitch web site. It's kind of confusing which guns use which nails. I called and they're sending me a catalogue which the customer service rep said would provide all the info...I hope. I couldn't find a gun/nail cross reference on the Bostitch web site.
Curious, any opinions out there on the Porter Cable guns?
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
PC gunsFramer is fine for a DIYer and cheap vs others but not the greatest. Hitachi is much better.I've never seen their sider, I've heard is a huge POS.The finish nailers are good but hitachi and the older style senco are better.The brad nailers are very good.
Thanks for the scoop.
Somebody had offered me a PC framer but never followed through. I've been looking at guns a little, getting tired of hand nailing the KD stuff. :-) Obviously, Bostich is the biggest, in more ways than one. Some of them suckers are huge!
Yesterday, I saw the PC guns in one of the yards for the first time (in the box) and the framers were $250. Bostich was the same at Lowes. Not sure which gun to buy. One thing I want is something easy to handle. Like I said, couple of the Bostich guns were the size of wheelbarrows. I don't frame much, and don't need that kind of capacity. Thought the PC might be a little smaller and easier for these old bones to handle. I also want something reliable. I'm getting tired of the Paslodes - they are a pain to keep running.
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
I believe all the siders run the same nails, 15 degree coils. I know both the hitachi's runs that type and the makita. The link says the hitachi 75 will only run 2 1/4" plastic coils, I think it will run larger but would check on that. What are you using for Azek, 4/4 or 5/4? You'll be fine with 2 1/2" nails for 5/4 and can go a little shorter if your using 4/4.If you can get the 75 for the same price as the bostitch, I would get that. You'll have a light duty framer and sider in one, the only downside is a little extra weight. It says the 75 won't shot 1 1/2" with the normal siders will but that isn't a nail you'll use, the shortest you'll use will be 1 3/4".http://www.hitachi-koki.com/powertools/products/air/nv75ag/nv75ag.html
Edited 10/1/2007 9:49 pm ET by DDay
I'll be using 5/4 and 4/4 Azek.
Thank you for the advice.
One of the other posters and the Bostitch spec says that it will take the plastic collated nails. Are there any brick and motar suppliers in Mass?
Where are you in Mass.? You can always get them from a lumber yard, stock building supply, Harvey ind. supply, abcsupply, etc. The place in NH was quite a bit cheaper than those and its right over the border off rt 93 in salem NH.If you want to save some money on a siding nailer, check ebay, They have an AN 611 on there now, probably will go for around $240. Hitachi is the most used siding nailer, so I would assume there are lots of those available.
I live in Weymouth. Just south of Boston.
I get most of my nails from this place (http://www.nhtooloutlet.com/) I think the bostitch has a piece that fits on the nose to allow plastic collated. I don't know if it comes with it or whether you need to buy it separately. I know the Makita AN611 and the hitachis can use either wire or plastic without any changes.I would highly suggest the plastic collated for ext. trim, decks, etc., basically anything where the nail head is not hidden. In my experience they shot better and you don't have the barbs to deal with. The cost difference per box is a few dollars and well worth it. I'll use the wire ones for blind nailing hardie, and areas like that.
Do the wire collated coil nails have barbs or are you referrering to the stick nails?
I'm trying to find smooth shank plastic collated coils for the Bostitch N66 or N75. I have the Bostitch catalogue and the smooth shank coils are wire collated onlt. Their plastic coils are ring or spiral shank only.
The barbs that stick out are the wires that string the nails together. The plastic collated is set up so the nail is just held in place by the plastic, in a c channel clip. The plastic is just a holder for the nail, it is not attached. The wire collated are almost tack welded on to the nail, so when the nail is fired, the wire leftovers are still attached. These leftovers often are sticking out from under the nail head when its in the material. You can pull them out with pliers but that gets old very quickly and takes quite a bit of time since it happens so frequently.I wouldn't bother with the catalog, have you called nhtooloutlet or lumber yards in your area, they will stock more than what the bostitch catalog says, if not they'll get them.I just called nhtooloutlet, they have 3600 count SS smooth plastic collated coils for $92/box. They are either 2 1/4" or 2 1/2", I asked for either. They may have both.
Thank You.
I appreciate your time, effort, and patience with all my questions.
I'll call NHTool right now.
No problem. If you go up there, they have a lot of nailers, so you can see them first hand. They might haggle on the price some, plus the no sales tax.
I called last night. Very good price on the N66.
Thank You
Cheapest SS coil nails are near you.... Builders' Supply of Cape Cod, Sandwich, MA Tel. 508-888-0444 Rte. 6 just over canal exit 2 think he runs his vans up to your area, might even run them to a godforsaken place like Rhode Island cheapest place around for cases of any type nails, especially SS if ur buying several cases or can split with someone else, there's a big discount for volume
lookat Max coil nailer CN890II $399. from Duo-Fast Northeast in E.Hartford, CT. Tel. 888-399-5712 or google their website, has funky name i never remember the max CN890II was upgraded to shoot engineered lumber, but shoots nails 2" to 3 1/2" you get a trim/siding gun and a framer combined nice action, smooth, has swivel coupler w inline screen for airline, best depth adjuster around I've let a few clapboard guys try the Max, end of hand nailing every time
guys at coastal talked me out of buying siding nailer, said Max was better value, more versatile, then sent me over to Duo-Fast cuz coastal only had the stick nailer duofast also sells the ss nails along w everything else, good prices, don't know if they can beat the guys on the cape, though more ss is used out there
"I'm not responsible for my actions."
The Hitachi that Dieselpig refers to is a nice gun, I have one. But the one I always reach for is the Bostitch N-66.
When we are putting up alot of siding of trim the race is on to get to it first.
You can't go wrong with either one.
Matt
i like our N66 ( also have an N63 & N64 )
lately we're doing a lot of 5/4 Miratech and i'm tired of watching the guys predrill & nail the stuff up with SS
bought an Hitachi NV 75 .. will shoot up to a 3" coil nail..
handles the Miratech pretty good with an 8d SS coil nail
nice gunMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I actually saw a Hitachi NV 75 for the first time the other day. It was at a tool store that I had never been to.
It seemed well designed, the one thing that really caught my eye was the basket tilts out when you are reloading coils. That would make it much easier to get coils of nails in there. The nose looked great for toenailing situations.
But at the price of $450 I passed, I have 2 Bostitch coil framers that won't die, two Paslodes and a new Max. I have got to get rid of a few of those first before I buy another.
How long have you been using Miratech? My yard starting carrying it and has offered it as an option. I used it once and really didn't care for the sawdust that gets everywhere. How do you like it?
Matt
the job site name for it is "dirtboard"
i'd say we've used "dirtboard" since '95
we use Miratech a lot.... sometimes we use Azek...but if it's going to be painted, we use the Miratech
before Miratech we used GP PrimeTrim ( same thing as Miratech ) but our yard switched to Miratech
we love it for everything except edge nailing.... but we've gotten good at that too
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Where's the best place to buy a Bostitch?
If you can wait a week, probably amazon would give you the best price.
$450 is a ridiculous price for that. Amazon and coastaltool.com will be around $350.
That's what I thought too, so what I usually do is get a price off the internet and ask my tool rep to get as close as he can to it. That way he gets my business and he also services them if they need it. That way I don't have to send it out to get it fixed.
Matt
Is a 2 1/2 inch nail long enough for a 5/4 window/door trim board? Or do I need a 3 inch?
It is fine.
Is there any point in buying a gun that will handle more than a 2 1/2 inch nail if door, window, corner board trim is all I plan on doing? There seems to be a price jump from a 2 1/2 inch to the 3 inch sheathing nailer.
Obviously I'm just a do-it myselfer...is a smooth shank 2 1/2 inch nail ok for the 5/4 trim stock?
the reason i went to the bigger gun is the smaller gun wouldn't drive the SS nails thru dense trim
the NV75 has more impact and shoots a larger shank diameter nail.. so we are shooting a 2 1/2" nail but gettng better resultsMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Thank You for the explanation.
If I need work done would you travel to Weymouth MA?
for the right kind of work ( interesting / challenging / rewarding ??? )
yes..
but economically it would be expensive to factor in 3 hours travel each day.... there are some pretty talented builder /designers in your area, i'm sure
we have had our Mass. C S License since '82.........Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
All of the above. I'll keep you in mind. My wife has remodeling ideas in mind.
House is a Colonial. Built in 1988. Time to do a kitchen?
What do you consider to be dense trim?
Miratech.... GP PrimeTrim.... MerantiMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
good to go...Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!