Nails come in an array of styles, materials, and of course, length. This month, I’ll assemble a small group of my most commonly-used types of nails and explain what they are and how and when they should be used.
Let’s begin with roofing nails. Yes, I know, most of today’s installers use compressor-driven nail guns and a coil of nails, but the best way of attaching shingles is by hand using a hammer! That takes longer for most of us, but allows you to absolutely place the nail in the correct spot, to the correct depth, and straight! Roofing nails have a larger-than-normal head, helping to assure that they don’t penetrate through a shingle, but instead hold it tight to the roof. Chances are you’re most likely to use the type on the left in the picture below. It’s electro-galvanized to help prevent corrosion. The nail in the middle is hot-dipped galvanized, making it rougher and better able to grip. The thicker coating also means it will last longer before rusting. HD galvanized nails are getting harder to find as some stores only stock the electro-plated ones. The nail on the right is a copper one, the longest-lasting of the three, but also the most costly. Those are the nails to use when doing a professional restoration of a slate or terra-cotta roof. That way, the life of the nail is at least equal to the life of the roofing material. Roofing nails hold best when they are long enough to poke through the underside of the roof just slightly, perhaps by an eighth of an inch or so. (The copper nail in the picture was used in 1926 to hold roof tiles on my house, and looks as good as new today.)
For many carpentry projects, the most commonly-used nail type is called, not surprisingly, common! Common nails look very similar to another type, box nails, but are more stout and thus are stronger. Box nails are less likely to split wood because of their smaller diameter so can be used to hold more delicate pieces together, or perhaps to hold things which also have had adhesives of some sort applied to them. Common nails which have a galvanized or other coating must be used when nailing into chemical pressure-treated lumber, which will quickly corrode plain steel nails. This photo shows two nails of about the same length, but you’ll notice the thinner box nail on the left and the beefier common nail on the right.
There are also nails called “sinkers” and they are usually coated with vinyl or concrete. The head of a sinker is slightly different than a common nail and a sinker is usually a bit thinner and a tad longer than the equivalent size common nail. Sinkers are often used in framing for houses and similar structures. Sinkers can have smooth faces on the head or a cross-check pattern which some say helps to keep a hammer from slipping off the nail face as it’s being pounded in.
Some nails have special designs to help them hold better than smooth-shank nails. Below is a photo of a spiral-shank nail and a ring-shank nail. These are best used in situations like attaching underlayment to floor joists, attaching drywall to studs, and similar places where a nail might be inclined to “pop back out” due to house movement. (By the way, most installers now use screws to hold drywall as they have less tendency to “pop” and show through a finished wall.)
Very large nails like this one are often called spikes:
When dissimilar metals come into contact with each other, something called “galvanic action” can occur, causing undue corrosion. This might be an issue, for example, when using a nail to hold a metal object against a wood structure. It’s best to use nails of the same material as what’s being fastened (steel nails to hold a steel item, aluminum nails for an aluminum item) or to use non-corrosive nails like copper or even stainless steel. The picture below is of an aluminum nail. Care must be used when driving soft nails like copper or aluminum because they are easily bent.
Generally, nails without large heads are called “finishing nails” because they are used when appearance is critical. They can be easily driven slightly below a surface using a nail punch, and the small hole can be smoothed over with putty or wood filler. Of course, because of the smaller head, they have less holding power than nails with larger heads. The very thinnest finishing nails are usually made of 18-gauge steel and are called brads. Finishing nails are available in various lengths and can be plain or coated like the hot-dipped galvanized one at the far right in this picture.
Some nails have specialty purposes. Masonry nails are made of hardened steel. These nails can be driven into things like mortar joints with less chance of bending. Some can be identified because of their beefiness and the striations along their length…
…but these funny-looking things (left two in the picture below) are also masonry nails. They are called “cut masonry nails” and can also be used to attach to mortar. The double-headed nails on the right can be driven tight, but still leave a protruding head above the surface, making them easy to grip with a nail puller or hammer head. They are used when only a temporary attachment needs to be made, such as in assembling forms for concrete work.
There are also nails that are specifically designed to be used in some metal brackets (which I’ll lump together and call joist hanging brackets). Those nails are usually stamped with the nail gauge, usually 8 or 10, on the head, and are 1.5” long. When they are driven through the metal hanger and into 2x material (like a 2x8 or a 2x10, which have a nominal thickness of 1 ½”) they go as far into the material as is possible without protruding through. (Note that you would use 1 ½” nails into the hanger holes only where specified, but longer and stronger nails when attaching to thicker material.) The hanger manufacturer specifies which gauge and nail must be used, and if the work is being inspected, the inspector will check that the proper nail was used.
You may have noticed that I have purposely not discussed a particular facet of nails – the “penny” designation, often noted with the letter D or d. Thus, as an example, you can purchase 16 penny nails, and the package will show 16D. I think it’s best if you do two things. First, if you’re following a specific design on a project and a particular type of nail is specified, use exactly what is called for. Second, don’t rely on the “penny” designation for nail length. Instead, refer to the nail length as shown on the package and use your judgment. As I mentioned earlier, for example, a 16D sinker is a slightly different length than a 16D common. If you’re attaching a 2x4 to a 2x4, 1 ½” thick material to 1 ½” thick material, be sure to use a nail slightly shorter than 3” or you’ll likely poke through the other side.
I should also mention a quick note on nailing safely. Use the correct hammer for the job. A claw hammer or framing hammer is better suited to nailing than a ball pein hammer. Wear safety glasses, especially if nailing into mortar. Finally, don’t get caught in the old joke where you hammer the end of your finger and exclaim that you “hit the wrong nail!”
I hope all your projects go well. Thanks for reading, and happy restoring!
Ed
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