Talked to a guy at the supply yard who swore by hand nailing every deck board

He said powered nailers leave them too loose and they'll pop up in 2 years. I argued with him for 10 minutes outside the lumber rack at Home Depot in Austin, then he showed me a deck he built in 2019 with zero popped nails. Kinda made me question my whole setup.

2 comments

2 Comments

noahjenkins25d ago

Does a hand-driven 16d sinker actually hold better than a gun nail with ring shanks, or is it just about getting the depth right? Seems like if you set the gun right they should hold the same, but that guy's proof is hard to argue with.

paulhernandez25d ago

Hold up, ring shank nails are actually the ones with better grip than smooth sinkers.