Ask Dr. Steel: “What are Stainless Steel Coil Siding Nails?”

This past summer I decided that it was time to put up new siding on my house. After doing some research I decided to go with a wood siding instead of vinyl because I preferred the look of wood over vinyl. As I started to go about the process of installing the siding I soon realized that using my hammer and siding nails I was going to be here until Christmas. There had to be a better way. Luckily I remembered a neighbor of mine showing me his coiled nail gun not too long ago. A quick trip to my local do-it-yourself center and I was picking up my own coil nail gun and a supply of stainless steel coil siding nails.

First, let me explain why I used stainless steel nails instead of regular nails despite their higher cost. I knew that over the lifetime of the siding the weather and other factors would be at play from the moment I struck my first nail. Stainless steel siding nails made the most sense because I know over time they won't corrode or rust away. With wooden siding I as particularly concerned about the appearance of any type of nail over time. I had seen firsthand what regular galvanized nails can do to wood and paint after just a few short months. Rust spots appear and start streaking down the paint. Before you know it you are repainting and replacing nails and giving up a lot of free weekends to do it. With stainless steel coil siding nails I knew I would enjoy a lifetime of worry-free installation thanks to their anti-rusting and anti-corrosion characteristics.

So what makes a stainless steel coil siding nail different than a regular stainless steel siding nail? Nothing really, except for the fact the nails are held together on a coil that feeds directly into my nail gun. I no longer had to wear my arm out trying to pound siding nails into the wood in 100 degree heat. I was shooting my coiled stainless steel siding nails into the siding at a record pace. I was to the point I was installing a new piece of siding every 5 minutes!

Coiled nails are specifically designed for use in nail guns. They are held together by a think strip of plastic that breaks away when the nail is driven into the material it is holding. With the right sized gun and air supply you can be shooting a nail into the surface every 2 seconds! Talk about speed!

After I finished my siding I was impressed at how much using the stainless steel coil siding nails and my new nail gun helped me finish this project in record time. It's been a little over a year now since I last installed the siding and true to the power of stainless steel nails there is not the slightest bit of rust to be found anywhere. By using the nail gun I was also able to sink my stainless steel siding nails into the wood so after I painted you can't even tell there is a nail there!

If you are interested in upgrading from your manual hammer and nails to a coiled nail gun pay a visit to your local home improvement store. A wide range of coiled nail guns are on the market that range from sizes that can handle handyman projects to monster guns that are designed for the construction industry. I'm sure that you, like myself, will find the suitable balance for your needs – and no, I didn't purchase the construction industry model (but I did get the one right below it).