Nail strips and nail coils are both fasteners for nail guns, but they differ in shape, how they’re loaded into the gun, and the types of projects they’re best suited for. Choosing the right one ensures efficiency and a strong hold for your DIY projects.
Picking the right nail for your nail gun can feel a bit overwhelming when you’re just starting out. You see different shapes and sizes, and wondering if one is better than the other is totally normal. Don’t worry, it’s actually pretty simple once you know the basics! We’re here to clear up the confusion between nail strips and nail coils. You’ll be a pro at choosing the perfect fastener for your next project in no time. Let’s nail this!
Table of Contents
Nail Strips vs. Nail Coils: Understanding the Differences
When you’re looking at nail guns, you’ll notice they use different types of fasteners. The two most common are nail strips and nail coils. They might look similar at first glance, but these differences are important for how your nail gun works and what kind of job it’s best for. Let’s break them down.
What Are Nail Strips?
Nail strips are exactly what they sound like: nails that are glued or sometimes wired together in a straight line, forming a stick or strip. Think of them like a row of soldiers, all lined up perfectly.
These strips are then loaded into a nailer that has a straight magazine. When you pull the trigger, the nailer drives one nail at a time from the strip into your wood.
Common types of nail strips include:
Brad Nails: These are thin, short nails with a very small head. They’re great for delicate trim work, molding, and attaching small pieces where you don’t want the nail to be easily seen.
Finish Nails: Slightly thicker and longer than brad nails, finish nails have a larger head that’s easier to countersink into wood. They’re perfect for attaching baseboards, casing, and other trim pieces where a more robust hold is needed but you still want a clean look.
Framing Nails: These are the heavy-duty guys. They are thick, long, and sometimes have a slight offset or collation angle. They’re designed for structural work like building walls, decks, and framing out houses.
Roofing Nails: Specialized nails with a wide head to prevent shingles from tearing. They have shanks that can be smooth, ring, or screw-type for better holding power.
The collation angle (how the nails are attached to the strip) is also important. You’ll often find:
15-degree nails: These are usually gathered with wire or plastic, and the heads are offset so they can stack together more compactly. This allows for a slimmer nail gun magazine.
20-21 degree nails: These are often stick-nailed, meaning the nails are gathered by a wire or plastic strip that runs through the center of the nail heads. The heads are usually round or clipped, and the strip is angled. This angle helps the nails feed smoothly into the nail gun.
What Are Nail Coils?
Nail coils, on the other hand, are a series of nails fastened together in a circular coil. Imagine a spool of thread, but with nails! Each nail is typically attached to a thin wire or plastic strip that forms the coil.
Because so many nails are packed into a coil, they hold a lot more fasteners than a strip. This means fewer reloads, which can be a huge time-saver on big jobs.
Nail coils are commonly used for:
Framing Nails: Just like framed nail strips, coiled framing nails are designed for structural applications. They offer a very strong hold.
Coil Roofing Nails: These are specifically designed for attaching asphalt shingles and other roofing materials. Their wide heads and strong shanks are ideal for outdoor, weather-exposed jobs.
Siding Nails: Used to attach various types of siding to the exterior of a home.
The way nails are joined in a coil can vary:
Wire Collated: Nails are held together by thin wires. This is common for framing nails.
Plastic Collated: Nails are encased in a plastic strip. This can be more weather-resistant and sometimes provides a cleaner break of the collation material.
How They Work in a Nail Gun
The design of the nail strip or coil directly impacts how it fits and fires from your nail gun.
Loading and Firing Nail Strips
Nail strips are loaded into the straight magazine of a nail gun. The magazine acts as a guide for the strip of nails. When you fire the gun, a mechanism pushes the next nail from the strip into the firing position. After each shot, the gun’s internal magazine feeder advances the strip, presenting the next nail.
Advantages of Nail Strips:
Slimer Magazines: The straight design often allows for a sleeker nail gun magazine, making it easier to get into tight corners.
Precise Placement: Easier to aim and place individual nails precisely where you want them.
Variety: A huge range of nail types, sizes, and collation angles are available.
Disadvantages of Nail Strips:
Frequent Reloading: The magazines hold fewer nails compared to coils, meaning you’ll stop more often to reload.
Nails Can Jam: If the collation material (glue or wire) breaks or bends, it can cause jams.
Loading and Firing Nail Coils
Nail coils are fed into a nail gun with a drum-shaped or angled magazine that can accommodate the circular shape. As nails are fired, the coil slowly unwinds or rotates, feeding new nails into the gun.
Advantages of Nail Coils:
High Capacity: They hold a lot more nails (often 200-500+ nails), which means significantly less downtime for reloading.
Efficiency on Big Jobs: Perfect for tasks that require a lot of nailing, like re-roofing or framing an entire house.
Durable: Coil collation can be very robust, often leading to fewer jams in the right tool.
Disadvantages of Nail Coils:
Bulkier Magazines: The drum or angled magazine can be larger and sometimes more awkward to maneuver in tight spaces.
Less Precise Control: It can sometimes be a bit trickier to get precise placement with a coil-fed gun compared to a strip-fed one for very detailed work.
Limited Variety: While common for framing and roofing, the selection of specialized nail types for coils is generally less extensive than for strips.
When to Use Nail Strips
Nail strips are your go-to for a wide variety of projects, especially those requiring detail and precision. They are incredibly versatile and found in almost every type of nailer except for certain coil-specific models.
Common Projects for Nail Strips
Trim Work: Installing baseboards, window casings, door frames, and crown molding. Brad and finish nailers are perfect here.
Furniture Building: Assembling cabinets, attaching decorative elements, or creating intricate pieces where small, hidden fasteners are key.
Cabinet Installation: Securing cabinets to walls or assembling them.
DIY Projects: Any project around the house where you need to attach wood pieces, from building shelves to creating decorative wall panels.
Light Framing: For smaller structures like sheds, playhouses, or renovations where large-scale framing nails might be overkill.
Example: Assembling a Picture Frame
Imagine you’re building a custom picture frame. You need to join the corners precisely. A finish nailer (using clipped-head or offset-head finish nails) is ideal. Load a strip of finish nails into your nailer, align two pieces of wood at a 90-degree angle, and fire. The nail will go through both pieces, holding them firmly for gluing and finishing. You can then easily place more nails to secure both sides of the corner.
Types of Nailers Using Strips
Brad Nailers: Use very thin brad nails.
Finish Nailers: Use slightly wider finish nails.
Framing Nailers: Use larger, thicker framing nails.
Pin Nailers: Use extremely fine headless pins.
Brad Pin Nailers: A hybrid, often using very small gauge brad nails.
When to Use Nail Coils
Nail coils truly shine when speed and volume of fasteners are the priority. If you’re facing a large-scale job that requires thousands of nails, a coil nailer will save you significant time and effort.
Common Projects for Nail Coils
Roofing: Attaching asphalt shingles, felt paper, and other roofing underlayments. Coil roofing nailers are standard in the roofing industry for their speed and capacity.
Siding Installation: Attaching wood, vinyl, or fiber cement siding to exterior walls.
Deck Building: Constructing large decks where you’ll be driving hundreds or thousands of structural nails into joists, beams, and deck boards.
Large-Scale Framing: Building the framework for residential homes, large additions, or commercial structures. The sheer volume of nails needed makes coil nailers invaluable here.
Pallet Manufacturing and Repair: In industrial settings, coil nailers are used to quickly assemble or repair wooden pallets due to the high number of nails required.
Example: Installing a Wooden Fence
Let’s say you’re building a long wooden fence. You’ll be attaching numerous pickets to horizontal rails. A framing nailer or a siding nailer using a nail coil would be perfect. Load a coil, and you can drive nail after nail into the pickets and rails without interruption. This greatly speeds up the process, allowing you to complete your fence project much faster.
Types of Nailers Using Coils
Coil Roofing Nailers: Specifically designed for roofing nails.
Coil Framing Nailers: Use wire or plastic collated framing nails.
Coil Siding Nailers: Designed for siding nails, often with adjustable depth.
Key Differentiating Factors: A Comparison Table
To make the differences clearer, let’s look at them side-by-side.
| Feature | Nail Strips | Nail Coils |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Straight, linear arrangement | Circular coil |
| Loading Mechanism | Straight magazine | Drum or angled magazine |
| Nail Capacity per Load | Lower (typically 50-100 nails) | Higher (typically 200-500+ nails) |
| Reload Frequency | Higher | Lower |
| Best For | Detail work, trim, furniture, smaller projects, precise placement | High-volume tasks, structural framing, roofing, siding, rapid assembly |
| Nailer Magazine Size | Generally slimmer, can fit tighter spaces | Can be bulkier, less maneuverable in very tight spots |
| Variety of Nail Types | Extensive (brads, finish, framing, pin, etc.) | More focused on framing, roofing, and siding |
| Typical Collation Material | Glue, wire, or plastic (strapped or paper-taped) | Wire or plastic |
Choosing the Right Nailer and Fasteners for Your Project
Now that you know the basics, let’s talk about how to pick the right tool and nails for your specific DIY needs.
Consider Your Project Type
Trim and Molding (Baseboards, Casings, Crown Molding): You’ll want a finish nailer. These use nail strips (usually 15 or 16 gauge finish nails). They are designed for a clean look, with heads that can be easily countersunk. A brad nailer (with 18 gauge brad nails) is even better for very delicate trim or crafts.
Framing Walls, Decks, or Larger Structures: A framing nailer is your best bet. These can use either nail strips (often 20-21 degree angle-colladed) or nail coils (usually wire collated). For a large house frame, a coil framing nailer will be much faster due to its high capacity. For smaller framing jobs or if maneuverability in tight spots is key, a strip framing nailer might be preferred.
Roofing: This is where nail coils are king. A coil roofing nailer uses large-headed, specialized roofing nails to secure shingles quickly and efficiently.
Siding Installation: Similar to roofing, a nail coil siding nailer is ideal for driving many nails into siding panels rapidly.
Furniture Making: Precision and small fasteners are often key here. You’ll likely use a brad nailer or a pin nailer, both of which use nail strips.
DIY and Hobby Projects: For general DIY tasks, a finish nailer or brad nailer with nail strips offers incredible versatility.
Consider Nail Gun Features
Power Source: Are you looking at electric, battery-powered, or pneumatic (air-powered) nailers? Air-powered often offer the most power but require an air compressor. Battery-powered offer great portability.
Magazine Capacity: As discussed, this is a key difference between strip and coil nailers. For continuous work, higher capacity (coils) is better. For detailed tasks, frequent but easy reloads (strips) are fine.
Depth Adjustment: Most good nailers will have a way to control how deep the nail sinks into the wood. This is crucial for getting a flush or countersunk finish.
Maneuverability: Consider the weight and ergonomics of the nailer, especially if you’ll be working overhead or in confined spaces. Strip nailers generally have slimmer magazines.
Understanding Nail Gauges and Angles
Nail Gauge: This refers to the thickness of the nail. A lower gauge number means a thicker nail.
13-gauge: Heavy-duty framing.
15-gauge: Finish work, trim.
16-gauge: Finish work, trim (slightly thinner than 15-gauge).
18-gauge: Brad work, smaller trim, delicate projects.
23-gauge: Pin work, very fine detail.
Collation Angle: Especially for framing nails, the angle at which they are held together matters.
Paper Tape: Common for framing. Water-resistant.
Plastic: Can be more weather-resistant than paper. Nails are often fully encased.
Wire: Often used for framing and roofing coils. Very strong collation.
Glue: Used for brad and finish nails. Can be affected by heat or humidity.
A crucial point for framing nails is whether they are “clipped head” or “round head.” Round head nails are essential for structural connections in wall framing to meet most building codes. Clipped head nails have part of the head removed to allow them to be collated more tightly in strips, but they don’t offer the same structural integrity and are often not allowed for framing by code. Always check your local building codes. For example, the International Residential Code (IRC) specifies requirements for framing nails, often requiring full round heads for structural integrity.
Safety First! Always Prioritize Safe Nail Gun Use
Nail guns are powerful tools, and safety should always be your top priority. Whether you’re using a nail strip or a nail coil, follow these essential safety guidelines:
1. Read Your Owner’s Manual: Every nailer is different. Familiarize yourself with your specific tool’s operation and safety features.
2. Wear Safety Glasses: Always wear ANSI-approved safety glasses or goggles. A stray nail or a ricochet can cause serious eye injury.
3. Never Point the Nail Gun at Anyone: Treat the nail gun like a loaded firearm. Never point it at people or animals.
4. Understand Firing Modes: Most nailers have at least two firing modes:
Contact Fire (Bump Fire): Press the safety contact tip against the surface, then squeeze the trigger. The nailer fires with each trigger pull and contact. Good for speed, but requires more caution.
Sequential Fire (Single Shot): Squeeze the trigger first, then press the safety contact tip to the surface. The nailer fires only when the trigger is held and the tip is depressed. This offers the most control and precision.
Always ensure the nailer is in sequential fire mode for precision work.
5. Keep Fingers Off the Trigger: When not actively firing, keep your finger off the trigger, especially when picking up, carrying, or loading the nailer.
6. Disconnect Power When Not in Use: Unplug pneumatic nailers from the air hose, remove the battery from cordless nailers, or pull the power cord from electric nailers when loading nails, making adjustments, or when the tool is unattended.
7. Secure Your Workpiece: Make sure the material you are nailing is firmly held or clamped.
8. Be Aware of Your Surroundings: Ensure no one is behind your workpiece. Nails can sometimes pass completely through material, especially if it’s thin.
9. Don’t Overreach: Maintain good balance and footing at all times.
Always remember that safety is not an option; it’s a requirement for successful and injury-free DIY projects.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some common questions beginners