Types of construction nails

Nail, in construction and carpentry, a slender metal shaft that is pointed at one end and flattened at the other end and is used for fastening one or more objects to each other. Nails are most commonly used to fasten pieces of wood together, but they are also used with plastic, drywall, masonry, and concrete.

Galvanized common nails and bright common nails

Common nails are the most widely used nail used in general construction and are the nail type used where building code requires certain framing construction. These nails have a thick shank and are made from iron wire. They are most commonly used with dimensional lumber.

The best nails for framing are 3 1/2 inches long. These are called 16-d, or “16-penny,” nails.

Common Nail.

As the name suggests, these are your everyday nails. Used for rough construction work, the common nail can be purchased in lengths varying from one to six inches (2d to 60d). The largest common nails are colloquially known as spikes.

A fingernail consists of several parts including the nail plate (the visible part of the nail), the nail bed (the skin beneath the nail plate), the cuticle (the tissue that overlaps the plate and rims the base of the nail), the nail folds (the skin folds that frame and support the nail on three sides), the lunula (the

Casing/ Finish Nails

A casing nail essentially is ​a large finishing nail. It is often used in exterior applications, such as for installing exterior trim boards and for nailing door frames and trim.

Brad nails, or brads, are made of 18-gauge steel wire. The small diameter of brad nails makes them easy to mask in wood trim or paneling. In addition to being thinner than standard nails, they also feature a smaller head. The slender profile of brad nails helps to prevent splitting on delicate material.

CRL Brad Pusher is used to insert Brads into wood frame molding. Simply position brad, then push! It is now in neatly and easily. Can be used with a hammer for installing brads into extra hard wood.

You could try using a brad nailer, but you risk not having enough to keep the trim secure. If you use a brad nailer in the wrong situation, the trim or molding will eventually fall away from the wall. If you need power, the finish nailer is hands down the best option of the two.

While the downside to a brad is its holding power, finish nails are made from heavier 15- or 16-gauge wire, which means they can handle a greater payload. For larger trim, such as baseboards or crown molding, a finish nail is the more suitable choice.

Depends on what it is used for. The angled nailers usually have heavier gauged nails and are designed to get into tighter areas. The straight nailers have finer nails and are used more for exposed surfaces so you dont see the nailhead as much as you would the angled one.

As the name suggests, Brad Nailer uses “Brads”, thin gauged nails that are used to bind light-weight wood trims. These 18 gauge, small nails are very difficult to drive manually into the wood trim. The force generated from electric power allows easy penetration of the thin nails.

Your local big-box hardware store carries molding in all different styles, and they’ll cut it down for you to the exact sizes you need. Installing it is as simple as buying a box of itty-bitty finishing nails and hammering in the molding. Seriously, you do not even need a nail gun.

The general rule is to insert nails into the studs when another type of framing is not available. For example, chair rail molding, a decorative horizontal strip of trim that extends from wall to wall, requires nailing to the studs to hold it in place.

We recommend the Bostitch F21PL as our overall favorite nail gun because it provides the versatility and performance to tackle both large and small framing projects.