My uncle insisted I use a framing nailer for a cedar fence job

He's been a builder for forty years, so I listened when he said it would be faster. I was putting up a 50-foot cedar fence in Portland last month, and I switched from my usual screws to his old pneumatic nailer. It was faster, sure, but after the first big rain, half the pickets had popped nails and were loose. The cedar shrank a bit like it does, and the nails just didn't hold. I had to go back and redo the whole section with 3-inch deck screws, which took me a full extra day. I should have trusted my gut on that one. Has anyone else run into this with cedar and nail guns, or is there a specific nail type that actually works?

2 comments

2 Comments

nina_butler1d agoMost Upvoted

My deck in Seattle had the same problem with cedar and a nail gun.

sandra91617h ago

Yeah, the cedar and nail gun thing is a known headache. I read a whole article about how cedar's natural oils and softness make nails back out over time. The writer said you really need to use screws or special ring-shank nails for it to last, especially in wet places like Seattle.