Nails For A Cedar Fence

You can use both nails and screws on a wood fence some builders attach the pickets to the backer rails with nails then attach the backer rails panels to the posts using screws.

Nails for a cedar fence.

The truth is many fence installation companies only stock aluminum spiral cut nails. A ring shank nail has concentric ridges rings all the way down the nail s shank allowing the embedded nail to grip the wood so firmly that it is tough to pull out. Another option for wooden fencing is to use coated nails that can help protect the metal from rust and corrosion. Because the fence wood tends to expand shrink during heat cold cycles and humidity changes which cause smooth shank nails to loosen.

The wrong size nail can cause splitting and panels to come loose from the posts. They have annular rings to prevent pullout in high wind areas. Cypress is a bit more hard and weather resistant than cedar. This uses 21º plastic collated full head framing nails though it can work with any nail from 20º 22º.

There are two types of stainless steel fasteners available 304 and 316. This has an anti dry fire feature so it won t fire when your magazine is getting low on ammo. Screws on the other hand secure the fence better than nails. 316 should be used in moist and humid climates while 304 works best in dry climates.

Any nail used in fencing should be ring shank or equivalent. Most coated nails are dipped in zinc though a galvanization process. Both cedar and cypress weather to a gray shade. The longer nail 2 1 8 penetrates the stud farther worth noting if you re working with siding woods such as cedar that tend to warp.

In general though the thickness of the siding determines the length of the nail. You can fit in nails from 2 to 3 inches and the magazine can fit in 55 nails at a time. Choose hot dipped galvanized number 304 stainless steel nails that are about 1 1 4 inches longer than the thickness of your cedar fencing. That way they can order large quantities of one type of nail and use them for both cedar and pine fences.

Fences that are constructed from redwood or cedar are particularly well suited for aluminum nails. In a nutshell the more galvanized the nail the more zinc there is for protection. The western red cedar association wrca recommends. For fence projects try the 1 3 4 cedar fence nails.

They also ensure easier rework should you need to replace a damaged picket. Randy wants to build his rough cut cedar fence right with no future stains but has been told that even stainless steel nails will eventually rust and that given the price difference he might as well use galvanized actually your choice of nails goes much further than that including plastic nails that i found in texas though these haven t been tested yet for our cold climate.