Stained Mouldings in a steel framed house

[pja]

Greetings from Sydney Australia,

This is my first post although I have been lurking for quite some time and learning heaps from my fellow festoolians. I am expecting in the next few days a delivery of parts to build a large MFT using ideas from FOG and will post some pics when I finish.

This is not a festool question but I thought those with much more experience, especially the trim experts, might be able to help with some advice.

I am about to start installing architraves and skirtings in my new home which has a steel frame.

I purchased (a long time ago) Pacific maple mouldings in a colonial style with a view to a stain and varnish finish.

Problem is fixing the mouldings to the steel frame without the screw heads showing.

I did fit wood blocks into the bottom plate channel to fix the skirts and likewise around the door frames where possible so I could shoot fix with a nail gun. However in some places the door frames are solid steel RHS tube and the only way to fix to this is using drill point screws.

Even using screws with the small 'trim type' heads means rather large holes to fill which show up under the stained finish. I have also experimented with using wood plugs to cover the screw holes but find these still leave a distinct circle outline where the stain has penetrated the grain at the edge of the hole.

Can anyone suggest a method of fixing that would not show through the stain and varnish finish or should I give up and just paint.

I really prefer the appearance of stain but if I can't hide the screw holes the whole effect would look cheap and shoddy. Any ideas ?

 

[ccmviking]

If you can't use panel adhesive (e.g. liquid nails, or loctite)  I'd cut out and inch or so strip of drywall in several places where the molding is going and screw some small strips in place.  Then just use the appropriate length finish nails to attach your molding to those strips.

Chris...

 

[Mirko]

Peter,
Select a pin nail that is no longer than the thickness of the drywall and the molding combined, drive the nail at a 45 deg. followed by a second nail shot close to the first one, but this time going in the opposite direction. The nails should cross over themselves. This technique will hold the molding in place until the glue has had time to dry.
I use silicone to hold wood to drywall because it sticks well and is flexible, If you decide to use construction adhesive it will dry very hard, so if the molding is bumped or struck, the brittle glue will pull the drywall paper of the gypsum, which is the weakest link. Silicone has some "give".
You could try to brace the molding too.
Chris' idea works the best though, but its allot of work because you will be running plywood strapping, that is screwed to the studs, behind all the moldings.
Good luck,

Mirko

 

[chrisrosenb]

I use panel adhesive & an air finish nailer that shoots 15ga nails. I shoot the nails into the steel studs. I know of finishers that use only the air nails. The nails do hold well in the steel studs but I use the panel adhesive because I do not like getting call backs.

 

[Lou Miller]

I use panel adhesive & an air finish nailer that shoots 15ga nails. I shoot the nails into the steel studs. I know of finishers that use only the air nails. The nails do hold well in the steel studs but I use the panel adhesive because I do not like getting call backs.

I agree 100% with this. I've run miles of trim on steel framed walls with 15ga nail guns and adhesive. Never have a problem. Mirko has an excellent point about the silicone though. Silicone is better in a lot of ways. I don't see Silicone getting used very often for cost reasons though.

Only thing I wonder about here is the gauge of the steel being used (I don't claim to be well versed in construction practices down under). 15 ga guns work perfectly with 20 or 25 ga studs. However, anything thicker than that and the nails just deflect instead of puncturing the steel.