How to Use Trim Nails
Hi! I’m Bob Schmidt with Home Remodel Workshop. So you decided you’re going to put up a little bit of trim. There are some basic information you need to know about nailing. Be a toe mould, baseboard, chair rail, or a door casing.
This is the profile of a typical base board and door casing. What you want to use is you want to use a six penny nail for driving the baseboard in and driving the thick side of the door casing in because you’re going to have to go though drywall or cluster which that has no holding power. You want the nail to be long enough to go into the wood stud but you don’t want to nail anything bigger than what you have to.
On a door casing where this side of the casing actually comes against the door and your nailing right in the wood, you want to use a smaller nail. This is a four and you want to use that for the smaller side and it’ll be less chance of this splitting out also.
You’re also going to need the proper hammer. This is a framing hammer, it has a jagged edge on it and it is heavy. You don’t want to use this for trim. What you want is a light weight hammer with a smooth surface on it on a casing you miss and this will do less damage to the wood. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a trim hammer even though it has a little flat edge on it. Don’t improvise. Get the right tool.
You’re also going to need a nail set. I prefer to like that thin tip one. I don’t like anything bigger than the head of my nails. In that way, the hole that you have to fill in is a small as possible. This is the typical type of damage you’re going to see if you try to use a nail that’s too big for the area that you’re nailing through. When working real thin edges, you need to use a smaller nail. This should have taken a four. I drove a six in here just to show you what would happen.
One way to keep the splitting from happening while working with the thin edge is to take a very small drill bit, drilling only through the thin side of the board just the depth of the casing. Drill your little pilot hole. Then go ahead and take your finish nail and stick into the hole and that will give you a nice start and a handsfree for nailing.
Using the pilot hole, once you’ve drove the nail down so there’s about an eight of an inch, take your nail set and drive your finish nail down until it’s just below the finish surface of the wood.
When working with the thick side of the casing, it’s not necessary to drill a pilot hole although if not you’re not use to doing this. Drilling a pilot hole will help hold the nail so that your fingers don’t have to be so close and maybe it’ll save you some bruised fingers.
So there you go, the ABC’s of how to put on trim nails. Use the proper sized nail, right type of hammer, nail set, and you should be able to save any abuse to your trim or to your fingers if you use a drill bit as a pilot.
We’re going to be doing many other videos on the use of air nailers with small trim and for the more advanced class. If you like to be the first to see our latest videos coming out, please subscribe we have other topics, many other topics back on our home page at Home Remodel Workshop. Go check us out thanks.
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services