Do I use a brad nailer or finish nailer for baseboards and how long should the nails be?

Answer 1

you can use either. a finish nailer is sturdier and has a broader head to keep the board from pulling away. a good safe nail length would be 1and1/2 inch to 2 inch depending on the thickness of the base and the thickness of the sheetrock. you can figure it out yourself by following this: your sheetrock is probably 1/2 inch but may be 5/8 inch. measure the base thickness and the sheetrock thickness. the board behind the sheetrock (the plate) runs along the bottom and comes up an inch and a half from the floor unless you have ceramic tile then you have to deduct for the thickness of the tile and the mortar under it. remember to nail the base toward the bottom because you don't know who built your house and i have seen anything from water pipes to electrical wiring running along the top of the plate. not supposed to be but happens. hope it helps. forgot. sorry, if you use the method of measuring the sheetrock and base thickness, remember to add three quarters of an inch to the total width to make sure the nail is long enough to get into the wood well.

Answer 2

finish nailer with 3/4 to 1 inch nails

Answer 3

Finish nails about a 1/2 inch longer than the width of the baseboard.

Answer 4

If a 4-penny finish nail doesn't reach through the baseboard and drywall into the stud, then a 6-penny nail should do the trick . Caution: baseboards sometimes split when you try to nail into them, so you might try pre-drilling a hole in them with a very thin drill bit.

Answer 5

I would use regular finish nails and a small ball peen hammer and and a nail set. Then fill the holes. It will take a bit longer but you won't have to buy anything and the end result will be nice.

Answer 6

brad nails and finishing nailes are one and the same brads are just very short finishing nails. You need to use ones just long enough to go into what you are fastening the base board to