WM

William MacBain

04/06/2004 10:44 AM

A stoopid baseboards and brads question

Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?

TIA


This topic has 16 replies

GO

"Greg O"

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 5:00 PM


"William MacBain" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?
>
> TIA

No.
Greg

GO

"Greg O"

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 5:04 PM


"William MacBain" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> bay area dave wrote:
> > I too use a 15 ga. nail gun (2 1/2")
> >
> > dave
> >
> > William MacBain wrote:
> >
> >> Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?
> >>
> >> TIA
> >
> >
>
> But I only have an 18 guage brad nail gun. :-(


A 15 or 16 gauge will do much better. 18 guage will not get enough holding
power to pull the base against the wall, especially where there may be a
slight dip in the wall, the base will just pull away again.
I have used an 18 guage, then bought a 16 gauge and was much more pleased
with the results. A 15 guage would be best.
Greg

TL

"Todd L"

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 8:32 AM

You will be fine with that.

Todd L

"William MacBain" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> bay area dave wrote:
> > I too use a 15 ga. nail gun (2 1/2")
> >
> > dave
> >
> > William MacBain wrote:
> >
> >> Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?
> >>
> >> TIA
> >
> >
>
> But I only have an 18 guage brad nail gun. :-(

km

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 11:43 AM

William MacBain <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?
>
> TIA

I use a 15 gauge nailer but if you do not have one the brad nailer, 2"
brads and a spot of panel adhesive every foot or so will do in a
pinch.I'm assuming your base is 11/16" thick and the wall is 1/2'
drywall. There is enough nail to hold the base until adhesive dries.
mike

Lr

"Leon"

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 9:41 PM


"William MacBain" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> But I only have an 18 guage brad nail gun. :-(


If that is all you have, shoot them in at an angle alternating the angle
back and forth so that they have more holding grip and shoot a few extra.

BT

"Buck Turgidson"

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 3:51 PM

> But I only have an 18 guage brad nail gun. :-(

Use it, and sink in some finish nails every few feet for good measure with a
thing called a hammer.

BT

"Buck Turgidson"

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 2:44 PM


"William MacBain" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?
>
> TIA

I'm no expert, but I just put down baseboards and oak 1/4 rounds in my
basement. I used a 15 gauge finish nailer (2 1/2" nails) for the bb, and an
18 gauge (2") for the 1/4 rounds.

If the the 18 gauge nails are long enough, it might work, but I'd be
inclined to go with the stouter 15 gauge.

PB

Pat Barber

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 2:58 PM

Not long enough... get a 15 gauge.

William MacBain wrote:
> Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?
>
> TIA

ba

bay area dave

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 3:02 PM

I too use a 15 ga. nail gun (2 1/2")

dave

William MacBain wrote:
> Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?
>
> TIA

TM

"Tony Mo"

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 11:22 PM

When I bought my compressor 4 years ago it came with a 18 gauge brad nailer.
I put up three rooms of baseboard and then quarter round with it and they
haven't fallen down yet. Sure, 15 gauge may be better, but if all you have
is an 18 then use it. You sure as heck don't want to driller, hammer and
then counter sink with a nail set do you? YUK!
"Keep your stick on the ice"
Tony

"William MacBain" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?
>
> TIA

ba

bay area dave

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 3:36 PM

so? you have a PERFECT excuse to run out this morning a buy
a new toy! :) Seriously, you NEED to use a heavier nail,
William. Get the 2 1/2" nails. After going through the
baseboard and the sheetrock you've got APPROX. (depends of
course on the thickness of the baseboard) an inch and a half
imbedded in the studs or sole plate. I have several PC
nailers, but hear lots of guys like the Senco oilless units.
I didn't buy them at the time because the rubber grips
were flimsy. If I'm not mistaken, Senco has improved them.

dave

William MacBain wrote:

> bay area dave wrote:
>
>> I too use a 15 ga. nail gun (2 1/2")
>>
>> dave
>>
>> William MacBain wrote:
>>
>>> Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?
>>>
>>> TIA
>>
>>
>>
>
> But I only have an 18 guage brad nail gun. :-(

WM

William MacBain

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 11:29 AM

bay area dave wrote:
> I too use a 15 ga. nail gun (2 1/2")
>
> dave
>
> William MacBain wrote:
>
>> Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?
>>
>> TIA
>
>

But I only have an 18 guage brad nail gun. :-(

BB

Bannerstone

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 1:20 PM

Really a 15 ga nailer pulls/draws the base up to the uneven parts of the wall
much better than an 18 ga. If you really must use an 18 ga nailer, I'd
recommend a bead of construction adhesive along the back of the baseboard.

If you're doing a small amount of work hand nailing is always an option. Opps
there I've gone and blasphemed. :)


David




In article <[email protected]>, William MacBain says...
>
>Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?
>
>TIA

jj

jo4hn

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 5:16 PM

William MacBain wrote:

> Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?
>
> TIA

The 18s are a bit flimsy but we're not talking a structural piece here.
The worst that can happen is that when once comes loose (if ever), you
hammer an 8d finish in.
mahalo,
jo4hn

b

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 11:39 AM

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 17:16:02 GMT, jo4hn <[email protected]> wrote:

>William MacBain wrote:
>
>> Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?
>>
>> TIA
>
>The 18s are a bit flimsy but we're not talking a structural piece here.
> The worst that can happen is that when once comes loose (if ever), you
>hammer an 8d finish in.
> mahalo,
> jo4hn



the variable we don't have here is length. If you don't have enough
penetration into the stud the nail won't have any holding power.
What is the thickness of the baseboard, how long are the brads and
what is between the baseboard and the stud?

You can get around the gauge issue (in a pinch) by using more nails.
with a little practice you can even drive several brads in the same
hole by angling them differently and orienting the chisel tips
differently.

Note that 18G brads are less likely to split near the ends (like if
you have to nail a miter) than the heavier 15G ones.

md

"mttt"

in reply to William MacBain on 04/06/2004 10:44 AM

04/06/2004 4:28 PM


"William MacBain" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Are 18 guage brad nails sufficient for attaching base boards?

You'll likely get a lot of "Nope!"'s. And I'd agree.
But I suppose you could use long brads and then augment them with an
adhesive. As long as you like those baseboards, as is, for a long time.


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