Question for the Guru's of Trim Carpentry

[stvrowe]

I am on the verge of putting crown molding throughout my upstairs and have a question on what nailers you guys use for nailing crown.  I have a finish nailer but don't care for the rather large craters it leaves.  I also have a Grex P635 pinner which is great, leaves very tiny holes but, isn't long enough for nailing crown.  I am considering getting either the Grex or Cadex 2" pinner but question whether this is the right tool for the job.  The folks at the Grex booth indicate that the 1-3/4" pinner would suffice.  I am leaning to getting the Cadex which will shoot slightly headed pins which should give better holding power.  Any thoughts or opinions would be most appreciated before I lay out the cash. 

Steve

 

[mastercabman]

I would not use a micro pinner to put up crown.I usally put it up with a 15 g.if it's on a wall.
How big is the crown? Is it stain grade?
You could use a 18 g. with glue.That's what i use when i put crown on cabinets.
You can use the pinner for your joints.

 

[danrush]

You might get away with a micro if the crown isn't too big OR warped badly, AND if you use a backer with good glue,  but I generally use 18ga. brads for crown work.  The backer board is important for nail support behind the crown, (no hunting for studs or joists, no near misses that result in more nails, etc.) 

I have both the Cadex and Grex, and I'm not sure the holding power is all that much better with the "headed" pins.  Maybe with 1/4" cabinet skins, but not enough to carry 2 guns.  The Grex travels, the Cadex stays home.

Dan

 

[Brice Burrell]

I'm another 15 gauge believer for trim. I have no comments on the Grex or Cadex pinners, I've not tried either one.

 

[chrisrosenb]

Another user of 15ga nails for crown. Brad nails do not hold well in soft framing lumber.

 

[woodtradesman]

Don't discount your 15ga finish nailer yet . I my self never liked the look of the larger holes 15ga nailers make but they are a necessary evil, specially for large trim or crown. If you happen to have one of the better finish nailers I suggest you adjust the depth of the nailer piston so that the nails aren't driven in to you trim very deep, that should alleviate the hole's foogliness a bit.  As an alternative you might want to try 16ga straight nailers which make a smaller hole but have less holding power and will very likely require more nails on the trim.

By the way, a 23ga headless pin nailer won't hold you crown very well.

 

[Dane]

I think that if you nail that crown up with anything less than 15g you will find out why it is a bad idea when you turn around to pick up your next piece and the previous one whacks you in the head as is plummets.  Don't ask me how I know this, let's just leave it at I know.  As that crown bends to follow the inevitable wave in the walls, the tension that comes from that is too much for a small headed nail.  As for the nail holes, aim for the valleys between the details and us the Fastcap Wax filling kit if it is stain grade.  You get a full kit of different waxes that you can melt together to match any finish.

 

[DavidW]

I also use a 15 gauge to nail most trim, but I also use the 23 gauge pinner to tack the crown and make sure it fits before nailing with the the 15.
David Werkheiser

 

[MiterMaster]

I use a 15 gauge nailer for most of my crown & trim applications, along with an 18 gauge when needed.  I would never even think of using a mirco-pinner for those types of tasks.  I have the cadex pinner, it's great for tacking small self-returns - but not strong enough for crown.  I've been using Hitachi finish nailers for many many years now with no issues to speak of.

http://www.hitachipowertools.com/store_item.php?iID=160&arrPath=1,9,44,p160,

Mike

 

[stvrowe]

Thanks for the input guys.  I think I will follow the guidance established herein and save some $$.  Something didn't seem quite right with the pinner recommendation on crown molding.
Steve

 

[Eli]

Hey if you're really picky you can put a post-it note or a piece of masking tape on the crown, shoot through that, and fill through it as well. That keeps cleanup to a minimum and sometimes there isn't as much 'foogliness'  ;D

 

[honeydoman]

i used to use 15 and several years ago switched to the 18 gauge 2" nails with my pasloads nailers.  me and my helper both carry one to shoot it off.  then I caulk it to the ceiling and walls.  have never had a call back and have also seen my work 1 year and 2 years later and still looks like crap!  (just kidding) still looks good no pull outs.

this is for 4 9/16 and 3 9/16 mdf crown.  have not done staingrade so I do not know.  but for larger crown and heavier you may want to go with the 15 as others do.  but do not use a pinner for it.

pinners are great for their purpose and hanging crown is not one of them