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I am looking to re-do a house full of molding— crown, chairrail, and other odds and ends. In the past I have always swung the hammer and drove the nails in (not to mention my fingers.) Now that I have a compressor, I was looking into nail guns for the job. WHY is crown molding hung with “staples” rather than brads. In the past I always hung this stuff with nails. Does the compressor drive brads too deep into the molding?
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< Obsolete Link > Mongo "Is there an all purpose compressor?" 1/22/02 1:43pm
Some people use staples...some nails. I nail.
*Staples are o.k. for paint grade work, but for stain grade you should stick to nails. Actually staples have better holding power than finish nails.
*Nails, shot from a Senco SFN40.
*"Bex" are cheap Taiwanese nailers that last surprisingly long with frequent oiling.
*Diy'erI have never seen crown hung with a staple. Staples do hold better though. I always nail.On nail guns Choose a 15 gauge finish for the crown and casing. If you can afford it get a 16gauge trim nailer for the thinner stuff. A 2 inch 18 gauge brad nailer would'nt hurt either. 16 Gauge trim nailers fire a thinner nail and are less likely to split thin stuff. I am with Mad Dog go Senco if you can.Most good 15 and 16 gauge nailers have a depth of drive adjustment. This allows you to regulate how deep the nail is set. independent of the air compressor setting. Better quality nailers are a little more consistent in sinking nails.Rules for owning nail guns:1 Oil the ones that need oil, and don't oil the oiless ones.2 If you are a part time user, it's really expensive to get a variety of nails.3 Watch your fingers and eyes.4 Learn to be creative when thinking up ways to pull finish nails shot from an air gun, until you get used to them.C
*I appreciate all your input. My wife will be pleased to see the work down without the usual expletives.DIY