[joan smith]

help! I am doing a lot of stained trim and am having trouble getting the finish nailer to flush the nails. I don't want them countersunk as it will take too long to caulk every little tiny hole. I only need flush as the nail heads are small and stain over easily . I keep adjusting the gun and trying on scrap trim but I can't get it to consistently flush the nails. It does some and countersinks some. Could I be doing this wrong? any tips? nail gun and compressor are new. thanks!

 

[joed]

Nothing worng with the gun. The air pressure controls the nailing depth. Since every piece of wood is not the same hardness I don't think you will ever get them all to be the same depth(flush).

 

[skymaster]

Joan: nail guns are designed to sink the nailheads. that is their job. Just use it the way it is supposed to be, let em be countersunk, stain the trim then take a sample, go to paint store and get THE MATCHING COLOR PENCILS, and just fill em. That is the easiest and best way.
There is no cheap and ez way to do a job properly :whistling2:

 

[ARI001]

Joan: nail guns are designed to sink the nailheads. that is their job. Just use it the way it is supposed to be, let em be countersunk, stain the trim then take a sample, go to paint store and get THE MATCHING COLOR PENCILS, and just fill em. That is the easiest and best way.
There is no cheap and ez way to do a job properly :whistling2:

:yes::thumbup:

 

[joan smith]

OK, only this is a large loghome with lots and lots of stained trim and if I have to fill every trim nail hole, I may need to live to be about 200 years old.:wink: Any other suggestions or bring on the Geritol.

 

[ARI001]

It really does not take as long as you think it does to fill the nail holes. It is tedious but you get out what you put in. I have run a lot of trim in my day and can tell you it takes far less time to fill nail holes than it does to install the trim. You do realize you only need a nail every 16" to 24" in most trim applications. Take your time now and do it right or it will drive you nuts down the road.

 

[joan smith]

Thanks!

 

[skymaster]

Joan: Having run many many many ft of trim in my career, as have soooooooooo many other contractors here trust us. Watch the Karate Kid and remember ; Wipe on, wipe off!!!!!! ( my version :} }} take the pencil rub it over the holes and with the other a pc of towel and rub it off. After a half hr you will have the program :yes:
Anything worth doing is worth doing well. The trim is the first thing that everybody is going to see and remember. Do it right

 

[joan smith]

Thanks to all. I will try to find pencil in right color. I was using caulk which I had purchased to match the stain, has lifetime warranty and hides really well, but is harder to work with, maybe a pencil will make it easier. I just did the stairs in the basement and it took a long time to fill all the little countersinks with caulk so I could finish stain. They're gorgeous! - but hard to do. I sure have a lot more respect for good contractors now than I used too. Starting on main stairs(putting finish wood over stringers} now, so keep the tips coming.