What gauge nailer & nails?

[DIY WoodWerx]

Looking to do some accent 1/2” wood planks to my sons bedroom wall.  What size Brad nailer and nails would you recommend?  Attached pic is an example

 

[mopo]

Looking to do some accent 1/2” wood planks to my sons bedroom wall.  What size Brad nailer and nails would you recommend?  Attached pic is an example

I'd probably use a 15ga nailer with at least 2" nails. 2.5" would be better.

 

[semenza]

I would go with 15ga 2 1/2"  and or trim head screws.  The 15 should hold but a few screws in strategic spots would add some additional pull out resistance in case other things end up being hung from the boards.  Skip the screws if you don't want to see them or fill the holes.

18ga would keep the boards on the wall but I would want more holding power.

Seth

 

[DIY WoodWerx]

I would go with 15ga 2 1/2"  and or trim head screws.  The 15 should hold but a few screws in strategic spots would add some additional pull out resistance in case other things end up being hung from the boards.  Skip the screws if you don't want to see them or fill the holes.

18ga would keep the boards on the wall but I would want more holding power.

Seth

Would a 16ga nailer be good?  I don’t have a 15ga on hand.

 

[peter halle]

I would not have an issue with 16 gauge and 2 1/2" nails going into studs.

Peter

 

[semenza]

I would not have an issue with 16 gauge and 2 1/2" nails going into studs.

Peter

I'm with Peter on this one.  I tend to forget about 16ga.  Alternatively it could be a an excuse to buy a 15ga  [wink]

You can put a board up and try pulling on it. If it seems questionable add a couple screws.

Seth

 

[DIY WoodWerx]

Thanks for the quick feedback.  Will use the 16ga and see how it goes

 

[peter halle]

Just as a follow up, I admit that I don't have a 15 gauge nailer.  When I was a superintendent and then a project manager on both residential and commercial sites I saw that 15 gauges weren't used that often.  In the residential world, which most of us are most interested in, they were used primarily in the installation of doors and windows where the additional minor thickness and stiffness would come into play.  But painters hated the larger holes.

I opted to go with the 16 gauge and use more nails if necessary (no you do not need to turn your door jamb into a vertical porcupine  [scared]). and deal with more smaller holes.

Peter

 

[bkharman]

To be honest, with that amount of wood, you might want to get a keyhole router bit and put some durable screws in the drywall and slide the board down onto the screws. I know 16g nails should hold but it seems like a PITA.

If you need details, let me know. I did something similar with old barn wood as a chair rail in my in laws house.

Cheers. Bryan.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rob-GB]

You could use 18ga to hold them up with a good bead of construction adhesive behind for permanent fixing but I do like bkharman's screw and keyhole router bit idea, makes a neat job that is demountable for future decoration.

Rob.

 

[DIY WoodWerx]

To be honest, with that amount of wood, you might want to get a keyhole router bit and put some durable screws in the drywall and slide the board down onto the screws. I know 16g nails should hold but it seems like a PITA.

If you need details, let me know. I did something similar with old barn wood as a chair rail in my in laws house.

Cheers. Bryan.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can you send me details and some pics if possible.  That would be great.

 

[bkharman]

To be honest, with that amount of wood, you might want to get a keyhole router bit and put some durable screws in the drywall and slide the board down onto the screws. I know 16g nails should hold but it seems like a PITA.

If you need details, let me know. I did something similar with old barn wood as a chair rail in my in laws house.

Cheers. Bryan.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can you send me details and some pics if possible.  That would be great.

So I will do my best here with a stock internet photo. First, the keyhole router bit would make a slot like this in the back of your boards/panels. Then you would simply need to put screws in the wall matching the panel pattern. It requires a bit of math, but would be very strong and removable.

I will look and see if I took pics of the application I did before but am fairly certain I don’t have any. If you are a FineWoodworking subscriber, they had a good article from years ago that was my basis.

Let me know if you get the picture or if you need further explanation. Think of each of your panels as a large mirror and you are hanging the panels on the screws.

Cheers. Bryan.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DIY WoodWerx]

To be honest, with that amount of wood, you might want to get a keyhole router bit and put some durable screws in the drywall and slide the board down onto the screws. I know 16g nails should hold but it seems like a PITA.

If you need details, let me know. I did something similar with old barn wood as a chair rail in my in laws house.

Cheers. Bryan.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can you send me details and some pics if possible.  That would be great.

So I will do my best here with a stock internet photo. First, the keyhole router bit would make a slot like this in the back of your boards/panels. Then you would simply need to put screws in the wall matching the panel pattern. It requires a bit of math, but would be very strong and removable.

I will look and see if I took pics of the application I did before but am fairly certain I don’t have any. If you are a FineWoodworking subscriber, they had a good article from years ago that was my basis.

Let me know if you get the picture or if you need further explanation. Think of each of your panels as a large mirror and you are hanging the panels on the screws.

Cheers. Bryan.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That helps.  This will work with 1/2” material?  The planks are 1/2”

 

[semenza]

I like the keyhole idea in general.  Though 1/2" seems a little thin for keyhole method. But maybe?  I guess you really don't need to leave much material on the front show side.

If you go this route you've only got one shot at getting the screws in the right spot. You will need to be very accurate with the screw placement in order to keep the boards parallel and evenly spaced. I think as little as a 1/16" will be noticeable.  I would pre-drill  after marking location with an awl. To make sure the drill doesn't shift and then to make sure the screw doesn't shift while driving it. Probably use a story stick to mark in order to ensure same height and spacing.

What kind of wood?

Seth

 

[DIY WoodWerx]

I like the keyhole idea in general.  Though 1/2" seems a little thin for keyhole method. But maybe?  I guess you really don't need to leave much material on the front show side.

If you go this route you've only got one shot at getting the screws in the right spot. You will need to be very accurate with the screw placement in order to keep the boards parallel and evenly spaced. I think as little as a 1/16" will be noticeable.  I would pre-drill  after marking location with an awl. To make sure the drill doesn't shift and then to make sure the screw doesn't shift while driving it. Probably use a story stick to mark in order to ensure same height and spacing.

What kind of wood?

Seth

Looking to use 1/2" purebond ply cut into slats.  Got the idea from a DIY blog

 

[RKA]

My preference would be 15/16 ga nails right into studs, however if you like the key hole option, here is a variation that might be easier to manage and should work with 1/2" ply, but the hardware is a bit pricey.

http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=75964&cat=51&ap=1