In this post, I’m breaking down the differences between finish vs brad vs pin nailers (and crown staplers, too!) and helping you decide which one is best for your project and workshop!
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I recently posted a tutorial on how to install DIY high end window trim on a budget.
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After posting, I received a ton of questions asking about nail gun sizes and the differences between them all, so I thought I’d break it down as it can be a confusing topic when first starting out.
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What Types of Nail Guns are Available?
There are MANY types of nail guns. Like, A LOT.
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Roofing nailers, framing nailers, flooring nailers, etc. are large nail guns, most common in construction and specialty projects. These are less commonly found in woodshops and home workshops, so I’m not going to talk about those here.
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In this post, I’m discussing the three common types used most in woodworking, furniture building, and DIY projects–since that is what I (and likely, you) do most of 🙂 These are smaller, more versatile options.
RELATED: Check out my top five tools for getting started in woodworking here!
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These nail guns are commonly referred to as FINISH nailers, BRAD nailers, and/or PIN nailers. They shoot basic straight nails and the main difference between them is the size of the nail they fire.
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I’ll break each one down below.
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And, although it’s not a NAILER, I’ll discuss crown STAPLERS as well since they’re kind of in the same tool family as nailers.
FINISH vs. BRAD vs. PIN nails
Before I explain when is best to use which type of nail gun, let’s break down this terminology and the size references.
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A confusing fact to note is that when referring to nail sizes, as the numbers go up, the sizes go down. So a lower number is a larger nail and a higher number is a smaller nail.
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Nails and staples come in a variety of LENGTHS, but the sizing here is referring to the THICKNESS, or diameter, of the nail:
- FINISH NAILS: 15 and 16 gauge
- BRAD NAILS: 18 gauge
- PIN NAILS: 23 gauge
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I don’t actually have a pin nailer in my shop–not that it isn’t useful, but I just haven’t picked one up yet.
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But I do have a 16 and 18 gauge (finish and brad) nailer in my shop, so here’s a visual comparison of finish vs brad nails below. The brad (18 gauge) is on the left (smaller) and the finish (16 gauge) is on the right (larger).
Obviously, the larger the nail, the better the holding power. So FINISH NAILS (15 or 16 gauge) will hold stronger than BRAD NAILS (18 gauge).
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If you can imagine, pin nails are 23 gauge, so compared to even the 18 gauge above, they are quite small.
Battery vs. Air Nailers
You can find all three of these types of nail guns and staplers that run on either compressed air or that run on batteries.
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Now, even the ones that run on battery, run on a version of compressed air, BUT they’re not tied to a heavy compressor and an annoying hose, and the “air compressor” is built in.
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Typically, air nailers will be cheaper than batteries, but the compressor will require electricity, and you’ll be dragging it around with you wherever you need to use your nail gun.
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Battery nailers on the other hand are a typically little more expensive, but you don’t need power to operate it (once the battery is charged), and there are no hoses to tie you down.
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Personally, I have used both and hands down prefer the battery route. I’m currently using the 16 gauge, 18 gauge and crown stapler from the Ryobi AirStrike lineup and have zero complaints.
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Once you go cordless, you’ll have a hard time going back to a compressor ha!
What Do You Use Finish Nailers For?
A 15 or 16 gauge nailer is called a finish nailer. These shoot a thicker nail and are typically used with thicker, heavier, and denser materials, like hardwoods and 1x boards.
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I’m currently using this Ryobi 16 gauge AirStrike battery nailer and I love it.
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For example, I used a 16 gauge nailer to install the window and door trim in my shop recently.
The larger nail holds the thicker 1×4 and 1×6 material in place well without having to use any glue.
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The downside is that the larger nail leaves a bigger hole. In some cases, this is an issue, but when painting the project, a little putty and paint will cover that right up.
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Finish nailers are great for installing baseboards, window trim, and nailing through 1x material–whether that’s assembling a small wooden box, attaching a face frame to a cabinet, or adding trim boards on an accent wall.
What Do You Use a Brad Nailer For?
An 18 gauge nail gun is called a brad nailer. These shoot a smaller nail and are typically used for thinner, lighter weight, and more delicate pieces, like cove molding, and crown molding.
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I’m currently using this Ryobi 18 gauge AirStrike battery nailer and have been for the last 4-5 years now.
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When I installed the window trim recently, I used it to attach the small half round and crown molding details to the main frame of the trim.
These smaller brad nails leave a smaller hole to fill, but also are much less likely to damage or split these small wood pieces like a larger 16 gauge nail might.
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Brad nails don’t have as strong of a holding power as finish nails, BUT, when used on these small pieces, it really doesn’t need it.
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You can, however, use brad nails along with some wood glue to give you very good holding power on heavier pieces depending on the application you’re using it with.
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Brad nailers are great for adding small molding details, attaching thin, delicate pieces of wood together, and for assembling small wood projects (as long as you also use some glue).
What Do You Use a Pin Nailer For?
I’ll be honest, I don’t have a pin nailer. There have been times I was in the middle of a project and thought, “it would be nice to have a pin nailer, right now.”
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But, I just haven’t ever remembered to actually pick one up. I plan to grab this Ryobi AirStrike Pin Nailer during Black Friday or as a Christmas gift to myself this year.
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They are extremely handy to have around in the shop, but are also a little more specialized. Pin nails are VERY SMALL. On their own, pin nails won’t hold much.
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However, they are great for “pinning” a piece in place to check the fit before gluing, or for use in something you plan to stain and don’t want large nail holes to fill.
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Pin nails leave such a small hole that most people don’t even bother puttying over them. If you’re working with veneers, or really thin materials, these work great to hold things in place while glue dries without leaving much of a mark.
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If you are working alone and trying to install a long piece of molding or a board, a pin nailer can be an extra set of hands and allow you to “pin it” in place while you check the fit or mark where to cut.
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You can simply pop it off, and remove the nails when you don’t need them anymore.
What About Staplers?
The Ryobi AirStrike lineup also has an 18 gauge crown stapler that I just added to the shop.
This isn’t necessarily a NAIL gun as it shoot staples, not nails. But, it functions just like a nail gun and has some similar uses.
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Contrary to popular belief, the term “crown stapler” doesn’t refer to crown molding–it’s actually referring to the type of staple–these rounded top, narrow staples.
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These small staples are PERFECT for upholstery, attaching mesh, paper or thin materials to wood, or installing thin wood panels (like ¼″ plywood or beadboard) onto projects.
They CAN be used to attach thin moldings and since it’s a staple, it would hold a little better than a nail.
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But the struggle with staples is that you need to make sure the top of the staple seats down below the wood surface so it can be puttied over. Depending on the material and the angle you shoot at, this can be challenging.
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I’ve been using a hand stapler for many projects around the shop recently, but having a battery stapler will give my hands a nice rest.
So, Which One is Best?
There is no “best” in this case. It all depends on what you’re using it for. If I had to narrow it down to just one to start with, I’d say the 18 gauge nailer as it’s probably the most versatile.
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That’s just, personally, the one I use most often. But that may not be the case for everyone.
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You can use it on larger projects if you use some glue with it, but it’s small enough for small trim pieces as well.
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However, when it comes to nail guns, there’s no one size fits all. They each have their purpose and their pros and cons.
But the great news is that you don’t have to buy them all at once. If you’d like to add one to your shop, you can grab one now and grab another one later down the road.
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If you go with a battery nailer, though, I recommend sticking with the same brand as you add to the collection so the batteries are all interchangeable.
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I hope this beginners guide to nail guns (and staplers) was helpful in breaking down the pros and cons and differences of the various nail gun types.
Head over to my DIY basics page to check out other tips, and tool guides to help get you started.
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Until next time, friends, happy building! 🙂