What Size Nail Gun for Fence Pickets | Hacks of Selecting the Right-Sized Nailer

Are you tired of falling off the fence pickets of your boundaries? Need to nail down the fence permanently? Confused about the variety of nail guns! Then here we are with the solution as today we are going to talk about what size nail gun for fence pickets.

When we go to buy a nailer, we find hundreds of nail guns available in the market. This makes the users confused that which is the best nail gun for fencing, as all of them are not suitable for fencing. And for the better understanding of the reader, we have segmented the article into four parts.

In the first section, we will tell you the basics of fence pickets with the important terms. And then we will show you how to choose the right size nail gun for fencing. After that, you will get what size nail is for fencing. Finally, we will provide you with the method of nailing fence with some tips and tricks. So why we are waiting for! Let’s get started.

Read Also: Best Cordless Nail Guns for Fencing

How to Select Right Size Nail Gun for Fencing

For getting the right sized nailer for fencing, you need to follow certain steps. First of all, what type of fence do you want to build? And then, based on the material of the fence, you have to select the right nail gun for fencing.

As we are here today to find the right size nail gun for fence pickets, first of all, let’s have a sight of what a fence picket is and why we use fencing pickets. Pickets fencing is a category of fencing which is mainly used in the boundaries of the house. And it’s a traditional art of America in where there is hardly a house without picket fencing.

Fence pickets are a sequence of vertical boards supported by some flat boards. Do you know what is the material used as fence pickets? Wood is very familiar with picket fencing for its availability and smooth finishing. Metal like steel, aluminum is also used for fence pickets. And for adjusting the pickets together, what you need is a nail gun for nailing.

Are all the nail guns fit for nailing fence pickets? The answer is no. you cannot nail the pickets with a pin nailer or a brad nailer. What you need is the proper type and size of nail guns. And which type of nailer is for your fencing project mainly depends on the type of pickets. So have a look at different types of pickets with some important terms.

Categories of Pickets for Fence

• There is a huge variety of shapes on this board with attractive names. You will surely love the names; they are called dog ear fence pickets, cedar fence pickets, wooden fence pickets, Vinyl pickets, French Gothic pickets, composite pickets, black picket, the round picket, redwood fence pickets, pine fence pickets, and so on.
• As wooden fences are mostly used for house boundaries, for the borders of farmlands and stadiums, as the sides of the road, and for decoration; we will focus on the wooden fences for finding the right size nail guns. Don’t you worry if you are going to make a metal fence as we will briefly show which nail guns are for metal fencing! So don’t miss the info by reading the half article!

Key Terms for Fencing

Fasteners

The fastener is the construction term that is used for screws, nails, pins, and other holding devices which hold materials together. There are specific fasteners for every job. If you use the wrong fastener in the job then the fence may fall with the flow of wind.

And for fencing nails are adequate for pickets. And for rails and post you need screws as the thickness of the post or rails cannot be covered by nails. Oh sorry! I forget to tell you about the rails and the post. Let’s see what rails and posts are for the fencing project.

Post

Post is the thicker vertical piece of wood that goes inside the ground for holding the pickets. Most often, the post for fencing is 4 inches by 4 inches thick. And you cannot use nails for setting the post. What you need are screws. You need a standard 4 inches galvanized exterior screw for post setting.

Rail

Rails are the vertical wooden pieces that go sideways for supporting the pickets. What you need is to adjust the rails with a post to make the frame for setting the pickets of the fence. And for rails, you also need galvanized screws with shorter size (max 2 inches)

Pickets

And the last term which is used for fencing is the pickets. And we have already shown that pickets are upright pieces of designed wood that give the shape of the fence.

What Size Nails for Fence Pickets?

Nail guns save time and pocket by fastest driving the nails into pickets. And for nailing fence pickets, you need nails that can hold the pickets together. If you use a screw, then there may be a possibility of splitting the wooden sheet as pickets are thinner than posts and rails. Again, if the nails are too short, then they cannot hold the weight.

So you need precisely sized nails for pickets. There is a special kind of nail for fence pickets that is Ring Shank Nail. You need 6d nails for these pickets. Normally 6d nails are 2 inches in length. And ring shank nails are galvanized steel wired nails. As a result, they are totally weather-resistant and rust-free. So these galvanized wired steel nails last longer.

Coil Nail Gun; the Right Sized Nail Guns for Fencing

Can you drive nails without a nail gun? No, absolutely not. You need a nail gun within your budget. As we have already introduced you to the best nails for nailing, now it’s time to find out the best nail gun for driving ring shank nails.

The coil nail gun is specially designed for driving 2 inches to 3.5 inches ring shank nails. Though coil nailer is expensive, it secures the nails inside the pickets for its large nail head.

Coil nail guns are powerful pneumatic nailer runs with the help of an air compressor. So they are not as portable as cordless framing nailer. Hence, for professionals, a coil siding nail gun is the best option for fencing pickets. As this nail gun is not as versatile as a framing nailer, it’s not the right one for occasional users.

Framing Nailer; is it Worth of Fence Pickets

We have already seen the coil nail gun is not for personal use for its high range and unavailability. So there is an alternative to coil nail gun; that is the framing nailer or roofing nailer.

From several types of nail guns, we have seen that framing nailer is powerful nail gun that can drive nails up to 3.5 inches. And it has the ability to drive 400 nails within a few minutes. So you can use a framing nail gun for your fencing project that is really a versatile gun for the home garage.

And if you have a roofing nailer in your garage, then you are the lucky one. Do you know why? Because a roofing nailer can do fencing more perfectly than a framing nailer.

Is Brad Gun for Fencing Pickets?

Brad nailer, which is commonly found in all the garages, is not adequate for fastening pickets. You may ask, why a brad nail gun cannot be used for fencing.

Okay, let me clarify all your confusions.

Brad’s nail is 18 gauge that is 0.045 inches thicker. And the length is a max of 2.25 inches. Most often, these nails are semi-headed. As a result, they have less holding power. So these nails are fragile and fit for smaller projects like trimming and molding of shoes, fabrics, small craft, and glue setting of furniture.

If you use a brad nailer for fastening fence pickets, then the thinner nails cannot hold the pickets with the rails. As a result, within a few days of fencing, the pickets will automatically fall down. So you need to replace the fence again which will cost you double.

Galvanized or Stainless Nails: Which one is the Best for fence Pickets?

For fencing, you cannot use regular iron-wired nails. What you need is galvanized iron or stainless steel nails. Just because of rainwater and dust particles. When the nails come into contact with rainwater, rust is formed because of the oxidization of iron. However, if the nails are galvanized, then rainwater doesn’t come with the contact of nails for the metal coat of galvanization. As a result, there is no risk of internal tear and wear. This ensures the longer lifespan of the fence.

The problem arises when the fence is a cedar fence. Galvanization means coating by zinc and cedar reacts with zinc by the contact of water. So if the fence is cedar fence, then it’s better to use stainless wire nails.

Nails vs. Screw: Which is for Fencing

• Nails are wired pins adjusting together, which is called magazine of nails. On the other hand, screws are metal pins with helical thread. Both are fasteners for joining wooden pieces or metal pieces together. You need a drill to adjust screws and nail guns for driving nails into hard surfaces.
• Now the question is which is more suitable for fencing; nails or screw? It is a common thought that nails cannot hold the pickets together. So nails are not for fencing. But it’s totally wrong assumption. The problem is finding out the right length nails driven by the right type of nail guns.
• Nails are easy as well as faster to install. So you need less time and labor which saves your pocket. Again, nails are more weather resistant than screws. Though nails have the possibility to loosen with the passage of time, they need low installation costs. And for fixing fence pickets, you need to use specially designed Ring Shank Nails.
• For posts and rails, it’s better to use exterior screws as nails cannot hold the weight of heavy post. Screws ensure tight-fitting on metal or wood. For installing screws, you need to make a hole in the wooden piece. After that, you have to fix it by turning clockwise. And for having a thread, screw fixes inside the wood/metal. So you need to use standard 2 inches exterior screws for rails and longer 3 to 4 inches screws for posts.

Fencing Pickets vs. Fencing Pilings

As a woodworker, it’s tough to find anyone who is not familiar with the word fence piling. But the interesting fact is that most of us think that piling and pickets are exactly the same. It’s totally wrong guess. Fence piling and fence pickets are totally two different things.

Fence pilings are flat boards that are mainly rails. Pilings are thicker than pickets and a standard galvanized exterior screw is suitable for fastening pilings.

Method of Nailing on Fence Pickets

After buying the right nail gun for fencing what you need is the proper nailing. And the lifespan of the fence mainly depends on proper nailing. So here is the gift of my readers. That is the method of nailing on a fence picket.

• First of all, what you must need is to set the posts and the rails
• Then mark some dots where you need to fasten the pickets with the post
• After that turn on the air compressor if your nail gun is pneumatic
• Fill the nail gun with the magazine
• Connect the nail guns and the air compressor with a PVC air hose
• Then nail down the pickets on after another
• Don’t place the hands towards the trigger as nail as it can cause serious injury
• Hold the trigger with both hands to cope up with the back kick of the gun.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What size nail is for fencing?

Answer: 6d, 2 inches nails are suitable for fencing pickets.

Question: What gauge nail is ideal for picket fencing?

Answer: 11 to 14 gauge galvanized nails are ideal for picket fencing.

Question: Is it possible to use a brad nailer for fence pickets?

Answer: No, a brad nailer is not for fencing, as brad nailer drives 18 gauge wire nails, which have less holding power. So these nails cannot hold the joint of the fence together.

Question: Can I use a finish nailer to fasten the picket?

Answer: No, the finish nailer is not for fencing. You can do trimming and mending with a finish nailer but not fencing.

Question: How much do I need for fastening fence pickets?

Answer: You need to spend 14 to 20 bucks per liner feet, including labor cost. If you do the task of fencing, then the cost will minimize.

The Final Thoughts

For getting a longer life span it’s important to build the fence with proper sized nails. 2 inches, galvanized, steel, ring shank nails are the best option for fastening pickets. Nails are more durable than screws. And if you need to change the pickets then you can use screws as they are easy to loosen by turning the thread anti-clockwise.

Now you have got the answer to the question of what size nail gun for fence pickets. And in our next article, we will show you the method of nailing fence pickets. Till then, stay tuned with us.