Unpopular opinion: finish nails arent always the right call for trim

I spent years using 16 gauge finish nails for every piece of baseboard and casing I installed. Thought I was doing it right because they held tight and didnt bend easy. Then last spring I did a job in this old house near downtown Nashville where the walls had plaster that was super brittle. Every nail I fired would either crack the plaster or pop back out after a day. The homeowner's dad was an old timer and watched me struggle for an hour before he said try 18 gauge brads with a dab of glue. I felt like an idiot but I switched and everything stayed put no cracks no pops. That moment made me realize I had been overbuilding simple trim work for years just because I thought bigger was better. Anybody else have a technique they stuck with too long before figuring out a simpler way?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas_brown2d ago

...and that's exactly why I switched to a pin nailer for all my crown molding now. I used to wrestle with 18 gauge brads and they'd leave these little holes I'd have to fill or they'd split the back of the molding on tight corners. Then I picked up a used pin nailer at a pawn shop for thirty bucks and it changed everything. The pins are basically invisible and they hold fine with a little glue. Now I just use my finish nailer for door jambs and heavy baseboard. Feels weird going lighter but the work looks cleaner.

lilys812d agoMost Upvoted

Heard that same thing with fishing too, guys using lighter line than they think they need and suddenly they're catching way more fish. It's like we all just assume heavier and stronger is better until we actually try the opposite and realize it works smoother.