Galvanized finish nails for outdoor use
JohnnyC
I need to nail up some exterior trim. I'd like to use my PC 16 gauge finish
nailer. The PC nails are galvanized, but on the box it says "not for
exterior use'. Any idea what I could use? By the way, should I be using a
16 gauge finish nailer for exterior trim? I use it all the time inside the
house.
thanks.
J. Clarke
As long as the trim isn't structural I don't see why not.
From the Paslode site, "Paslode finish nails are electro-galvanized.
They should not be used in cedar, redwood or treated lumber. If they
are going to be used in pine then they should be countersunk and the
heads should be caulked over."
I suspect that the same is true for PC.
If you want to "do it right" use larger nails in concealed locations.
--
--
--John
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(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
Joe
For exterior trim 16 ga. is a bit light duty. Pay attention to the
manufacturer's recommendations when they tell you not for outdoor. If
you like PC nailers, then get a DA250A or B and go after your outdoor
trim with some Senco DA21EGBN or DA25 EGB stainless steel finish
nails. The longer 15 ga. nails will work better for outdoor trim.
Another plus is you don't have to worry about treated rim outside with
stainless. HTH
Joe
BobK207
16 gauge is a little small (~,062" dia) but 15 gauge is only .072
If your nailer shoots 2 1/2" brads you'll probably be ok... 2" is a
little short.
Use SS brads, the only way to go.
Unfortuantely a box of 5,000 is about $50 or more plus shipping. And
the bummer is you only need a few. :(
here's where I get mine http://www.stainless-nails-brads-staples.com
cheers
Bob
Phisherman
Use galvanized indoors or for birdhouses. Get stainless steel
fasteners for outdoor use and forget about ugly rusty streaks.
dadiOH
There's a big difference in durability between hot dipped galvanized steel
and electroplated galvanized steel.
--
dadiOH
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Dave Martindale
Ordinary galvanized means a very thin coating of zinc electroplated onto
the metal. It's enough to keep the nails from rusting in air, or for
dry interior applications, but it will rust pretty quickly outdoors.
You should be using hot-dipped galvanized nails, which have a *much*
thicker zinc coating applied by dipping in liquid metal. If you can't
get HDG nails suitable for your air nailer, you may have to fall back on
the antique device known as a "hammer" to install them. Ordinary HDG
nails should be readily available at your local building materials
store, even the orange box variety. We just repaired a deck, and used
HDG nails for most of it.
Stainless steel nails are even more resistant to rust, but a lot more
expensive.
Dave
David Combs
dadiOH <xi...@verizon.net> wrote:
>Phisherman wrote:
>> On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:52:58 -0400, "JohnnyC" <j...@jc.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hello,
>>> I need to nail up some exterior trim. I'd like to use my PC 16
>>> gauge finish nailer. The PC nails are galvanized, but on the box it
>>> says "not for exterior use'. Any idea what I could use? By the
>>> way, should I be using a 16 gauge finish nailer for exterior trim?
>>> I use it all the time inside the house.
>>> thanks.
>>>
>>
>>
>> Use galvanized indoors or for birdhouses. Get stainless steel
>> fasteners for outdoor use and forget about ugly rusty streaks.
>
>There's a big difference in durability between hot dipped galvanized steel
>and electroplated galvanized steel.
Stupid question, maybe: which of the two is more durable, and maybe
also something about a "why"?
Thanks!
David
SteveBell
Finish nailers are fine for outdoor use. What is important is to get
fasteners that won't (A) rust or (B) react with the wood.
Plain, uncoated steel fasteners are for indoors only. They'll rust just
from water in the air; they cause some woods, like cedar, to change
color; and the chemicals in pressure treated (PT) wood causes them to
corrode.
Stainless fasteners are expensive, but can be used just about anywhere.
They don't rust, and the don't react with strange woods or PT chemicals.
Galvanized fasteners are steel inside and coated with zinc outside.
Zinc doesn't rust and doesn't react with strange woods or PT chemicals.
The zinc can be put on by electroplating, resulting in a thin, smooth,
shiny coat; or by dipping individual fasteners in molten zinc, usually
twice, resulting in a thick, rough, dull coat. Hot-dipped fasteners are
obviously better, having a thicker coat, but they cost considerably
more. I don't know why they even make the electroplated fasteners. I
never use them.
Check the container for recommended use. Also check the instructions
that come with PT wood. Using the wrong fastener can void warranties.
--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX
sa...@dog.com
Hot dipped coating is thicker and more durable for the obvious reason.
dadiOH
Hot dipped because the non-rusting protective zinc coating is *MUCH*
thicker.
When someting is electroplated, the plating material winds up very, very
thin. It is very easy to scratch thru it - a hammer hitting the head of a
nail may well do that - and once the zinc is breached the steel is exposed
to the elements and will begin to oxidize.
The down side of hot dipping is that the dipped object will have a rough
surface...maybe even bumps of zinc here and there. Sometimes nails will be
stuck together too (by the zinc). I've never found either to be a problem
although with finish nails you may wind up with a slightly larger, non-round
hole to fill.
Generally, electroplating results in an enhanced appearance of something but
provides little protection for the underlying material.
BTW, when dealing with gold there are two types of plating...EGP (electro
gold plate) and RGP (rolled gold plate). The former is self explanatory,
the latter involves physically applying a thin layer of gold over the base
metal. The RGP is usually much thicker but not necessarily as gold is
extremely malleable and can be squished down to a thinness of one molecule.
If the weight of the gold in the RGP comprises at least 1/20th of the weight
of the object to which it is applied, it is "gold filled". Such an object
contains 50-100,000 times more gold than EGP. Gold filled objects are quite
durable; unfortunately, you see them much less frequently nowadays. Not
watches at least.
George
Electroplated zinc fasteners are just mickey mouse junk that seemed to
show up about the time big box stores appeared. No spec allows their
use. And you don't even do scratch them to make them rust. One day my
neighbor asked for some help and he loves home depot. I bought a box of
roofing nails just by grabbing the box not realizing they weren't real
roofing nails. When we got back home I got distracted and pushed them
through the railing on the dead end of the deck. I found the box about
a month later and the fake roofing nails were all rusted and stuck
together.