Roofing nailer OK for siding?

[Tim Reagan]

I just ordered this roofing nailer from amazon yesterday, mainly because of the deal, 125$ with free air hose. I plan on building a shed soon using 10" redwood planks. Will roofing nails be fine for siding? Has anyone used this gun? I guess its a little late as I already ordered it.

Stanley Bostitch SRN175-1 1-3/4" Coil Roofing Nailer (couldn't make it a link)

Thanks, Tim

[Steve Clardy]

Probably be ok.
Don't know for sure if that gun will accept siding nails, which are smaller.
Some do, some don't.

[Geoff Barry]

Out of curiosity, what sized nails would be used for siding? Are there special siding nailers? (alright, maybe I'm thinking about building a shed, too . . .)

[Per Swenson]

Remember it's only a opinion.

No.
Roofing nailers are for roofing.
Siding nailers are for siding.

Roofing nail= big head
siding nail = button, small head

http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=552708

Heck you can nail it up with anything you want...but still....

Per

[Steve Clardy]

Looking at the gun details----it tells me that it may accept siding nails, which if I remember, are a #6 coated nail.

But I don't see for sure that it does accept them. It does state it can be used for hardi plank, which normally uses a siding nail.


From the Manufacturer
The Stanley SRN175-1, Coil Roofing Nailer is built like a little tank, performs well under tough conditions, and its light-weight frame will astound you. The Stanley Roofing Nailer only weighs 4.7 lbs. and operates under normal working pressures between 70 and 120 psi. The easy-loading hard plastic canister (otherwise called the magazine) holds 120, or one standard coil, of 15-degree coil roofing nails…any brand. Some features of this tool are standard multi-directional exhaust port and an adjustable shingle guide for accurate shingle layout placement. Being built like a tank, it has protection all over the place like steel guards with rubber inserts on the side of the tool to stop from sliding down the roof or when dragged across the very abrasive asphalt shingles. You’ll also find a steel safety foot with dual carbide inserts to protect the integrity of the nose…the business end of the tool. Can you adjust the depth of drive? Sure, with a simple dial located underneath the trigger. Add in standard solid rubber grips for insulation from vibration and added comfort in extreme heat and cold, and you have all the features of any other tool on the market. Other uses for this tool besides normal asphalt shingle installation would be hardi-board cement siding. You can also get attachments to do vinyl siding and some sheathing….its not just for roofing anymore. Its tried, its tested, and its trusted. Now for the amazing part…check out the price. Oh yeah, under $200 for this solid machine…try it today!

[Tim Reagan]

I was probably going to use 1.5" nails. Whats the down side of the larger head? Would a 2" framing nail be better, that has a small head?

[Steve Clardy]

Downside is that the roofing head probably won't sink in past the wood.

[Frank Snyder]

You can use a roofing nailer (1-3/4" galvanized nails) to install siding if you "blind nail" them, so you won't see the nail head at all. James Hardie's website has instructions on their website how to install their siding using roofing nails or a roofing nailer. The nails are attached above the exposure line.

If you were going to face nail them (nail heads exposed), then I'd use a siding nailer which will accept the smaller (and longer) nails.

[Tim Reagan]

I was planning on having the nails covered, but then again I thought most siding fasteners were covered. So could I just use my framing nailer with 2" nails?

[Jason Roehl]

I was planning on having the nails covered, but then again I thought most siding fasteners were covered. So could I just use my framing nailer with 2" nails?

The only problem there is that you typically want siding nails to be flush-nailed, not set like framing nails oftne are. It's like doing precision racing in a dump truck. You'll get around the track, but it won't be quick or good/precise. There are (were?) guns that were designed to only nail flush that are excellent for fiber-cement siding (Hardie-plank and its competition).