How To Use A Siding Nailer? (Step by Step Guide)

A nailer is a widespread tool for household and industrial works used by carpenters. Generally, there are two types of nailers available, siding nailer and framing nailer.

Many think that the job of both nailers is the same, but it is not. The outcomes of the nailers are not the same, even though they shoot the same nails.

A siding nail gun is a popular tool for nailers. It is easy to use, and you can use the siding nail gun for multiple areas. A siding nail gun comes with a small head, easy load and unload feeder and coil.

Now suppose you own siding nailer, but you don’t know how to use a siding nailer. Well, it is hard to tell you the exact answer in one word. You need to complete a simple process to use a siding nail gun.

I know your thoughts, and that’s why I am going to share with you a simple process (step-by-step) so that you can clear your confusion and use your siding nail gun properly.

What is a Siding Nailer?

The name explains the job of a siding nailer itself. The job of a siding nailer is to nail the side of something. It is accurate for rubber and wood.

It is a creation that solves all types of siding problems and leaves a perfect finishing like professionals.

If you are connected with a siding job, then it is an ideal power tool for you. It will work effectively and save your time too.

There are three types of siding nailers. They are pneumatic siding nailers, cordless siding nailers, and coil siding nailers.

How to Use a Siding Nailer Step by Step?

It is nice using siding nailer. If you want to use your tool correctly, you should follow the instructions given below step by step.

Safety first: First, you’ll need eye and ear protection, which is required when using any power tool. We also suggest wearing a hard hat and gloves.

Load the nail gun: Load by pressing a magazine release and push that back into its place, making sure that it clicks perfectly.

Set your depth: Make sure the depth corresponds to the nail length you purchased for your project. It helps you a lot to nail on your projects quickly and safely.

Connect the power source: The attach the gun to its power source. If you need to connect to the power grid, you’ll probably need to use an extension cord.

Shoot your nails: Once you are done setting your depth and connecting to a power source, you can start shooting nails.

Remove nail jams as needed: When using nailers, one of the most common issues is a jam. Don’t continue firing rounds if your siding nailer jams. Disconnect the tool from its power source instead. Then figure out what’s causing the blockage.

What to Consider When Choosing the Best Siding Nailer?

Here are some things that you should consider while choosing the best siding nailer for yourself.

Brand: Renowned brands are famous for the quality they provide. So, it’s a vital thing to consider before buying.

Power: You should check its power before buying so that you can be sure if you can do a heavy task and nail through rough surfaces.

Performance and Speed: Its performance should be excellent. It must offer good performance and great speed.

Nail capacity: It will be great for you to choose a siding nail with greater nail capacity to save you time.

Weight and Comfort: The more lightweight your siding tool is, the more comfortable to use it is.

Durability and Safety: Make sure it is made with high-quality ingredients and safety is provided.

What is a Roofing Nailer

If you want to install a roof made of asphalt, insulation board, and fiberglass, a roofing nailer is a must. Its name also explains why it is built for. Roofing nailers are designed to nail coil roofing nails. If you use this tool, your roof will last for at least 20 years.

There are two types of roofing nailers available. One of them is Cap coil nailers, also known as plastic cap nailers, which drives a coil nail in tandem with a plastic cap. And the other is cap staplers that use staplers instead of nails.

Siding Nailer vs. Roofing Nailer. What’s the Difference

The primary difference between the two types of nailers is in the nails.

The siding nails are designed to be permanent. So they don’t come out. They are not installed flush. A gap between the head of the pin and siding is left.

You can nail longer nails. But as they are more expensive, some try to use roofing nailers. But to nail larger nails, a siding nailer is the only option left for you.

Roofing nailers are easier to use. As they need to be changed occasionally, they are not installed permanently. The nails are shorter but have a larger head.

However, the Framing nail gun head comes in large size and is suitable for heavy-duty projects. On the other hand, siding nail guns are used for small-headed and nail size areas.

FAQs

Q: What do you use a siding nailer for?

Answer: You can use a siding nail gun for siding projects. You can also use a Framing nail gun for siding nail projects. The tool is an important element; of course, you must use the siding nailer properly in your projects.

Q: How do you load a siding nailer?

Answer: To load the siding nail, you need to open the feeder door and coils so that you can load the magazine.

However, you can also check out the above section to load a siding nail gun. I hope that this answer is enough for you to clear up your confusion.

Q: Can you use a siding nailer for vinyl siding?

Answer: Of course, you can use a siding nail for vinyl siding. Moreover, you can use the siding nail in vinyl siding with different types of nail sizes so that you can easily complete your projects.

Q: How tight do you nail vinyl siding?

Answer: You can allow 1/16 inch between the nail and vinyl siding. You should not tighten it too much because of nail problems as well as load and unload problems. You can also follow nail gun guidelines to get the perfect measurement.

Q. Can you use a siding nailer for framing?

Answer: You may wonder if you can use your siding nailer for framing. The answer is no. You can use framing nailers for a siding job.

But only if the nail being used is long enough to attach the siding firmly to your exterior wood.

However, the inverse is not appropriate. That means you cannot use a siding nailer for framing. Framing requires longer nails, and sometimes the pins join together in lumber. That is why the other nailer is not good enough for the job.

Q. Can you use a siding nailer for roofing?

Answer: Their names explain the jobs of these two pieces of equipment. The two tools serve different purposes.  

Siding nailers are used in wood projects. Roofing nailers are used in asphalt shingles or hard surfaces.

But sometimes, you can use a roofing nailer to do the siding job. But you cannot use a siding nailer to nail your roof.

Roofing nailer drives through shingles or hard surfaces. It requires a lot of power and capacity that the other nailer lacks.

Q. What size nails do you use for siding?

Answer: The size of the nails depends on what kind of siding you are using in your house. There are various kinds of siding.

They are wood siding, metal siding, thatch siding, plastic siding, wooden sheet siding, composite siding, fiber cement siding, aluminum siding, etc.

The ideal length of a siding nail depends on how deeper a pin has to go to perfectly finish the job. In general, you will see the length of siding nails ranging from  1-1/4″ up to 2-1/2″. For wood siding, we use nails of length at least 1-1/2 inches.

Q. Can I use screws for wood siding?

Answer: Nail and screw are both used in the wood siding by the carpenters. As a result, before concluding, we have to consider both their advantages and disadvantages. For wood siding projects, nails are the most common fastener because,

• For structural joining, nails are more preferred, whereas screws can snap.
• Screws are used for temporary jobs because they can be detached more easily than nails.
• Nails have more flexibility than screws.
• For greater gripping power, it is better to use ring shank nails.

So it is better to use nails for wood siding for a long-lasting result so that you do not regret it in the future.

Final Words

A siding nailer is a piece of very vital equipment to the carpenters or general people for wood projects. If you don’t know how to use a siding nailer, then owning one will be a loss project. That is why we tried to explain the use of it in this article. I wish you good luck and safe usage of this power tool.