Advice for anyone thinking about doing their own baseboards - DIY Chatroom

preciouschristy · 10-18-2009, 08:26 PM

Don't do hardwood baseboards or shoe molding yourself. The regular pine stuff is probably fine, but hardwood is a pain. Nail guns jam, the walls are never perfectly straight, and they don't want to join nicely. I'm doing the shoe molding right now, and the nail gun is jamming more than half the time. I watched the DIY videos where the pros go through and get perfect nails in every time, but mine are jamming, bouncing off, curling around the back (ie, not going into the baseboard)... The flooring went down like a breeze, but the baseboards are the WORST project I have ever attempted in my life. I will be lucky if I can finish them without having a nervous breakdown or getting a divorce.

Just don't do it.

MinConst · 10-18-2009, 08:35 PM

It might be your gun. If it air turn up the pressure a little for hardwood. Maybe 10-15 lbs. If the nails are bending behind the molding then your either hitting something, or all power is lost when it gets through the molding. Might also be a bad gun if you jamb so much. Obviously it takes more power to drive through hard wood.

preciouschristy · 10-18-2009, 08:41 PM

I don't know. I'm pretty sure it's me, not the nailer. When I was "practicing" on some scrap (I arranged it against a wall to simulate how it would work) I was getting 9/10 perfect. Then when I'm doing it on the "real" pieces, 9/10 jam or bounce off. Frustrating...

oh'mike · 10-18-2009, 09:12 PM

Sounds like your gun or not enough air pressure.

Nails 'fish hooking' can be minimized by how you allign your gun to the work.
Brads hook forward and backward(in line with the gun) learn which way they are hooking .

Good luck--MIKE-

cdat · 10-19-2009, 12:13 PM

What type of 'gun and what type of air system you using? Low air pressure or a tank refilling will cause a loss in pressure. I've very rarely had a gun jam.

Also, unless you're using Brazilian Teak or Ipe or something along those lines, your nail shouldn't curl back on you.

**Scuba_Dave** · 10-19-2009, 12:55 PM

I always use a hammer & countersink
I've had more problems lately with outside galvy finish nails