Casing and baseboard nailing pattern - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

woodworkbykirk · 02-17-2009, 09:39 PM

whats everyones preferred nailing pattern for trim

my preference is as many 18 gauge nails as required to make the trim is tight. this could be a pair of nails every 16" with 3 nails at the mitres to keep it locked, but can sometimes more to make sure casings are tight to the wall and tight to the jamb. it drives me nuts seeing casings that move when a door opens and closes or is just plain loose off a wall so a pile of dap has to be pumped in.

the reason i ask is the painter we use was bitching about me making too many nail holes, yet my trim is tight. i would glue the trim to the wall as well to cut down on nails but the general supplying the materials thinks that its a waste of money for extra glue. Who's at fault, am i the bad guy for caring about my work holding up

Meetre · 02-17-2009, 09:48 PM

I've had painters yell about nails. I use as many as it takes to secure the pieces. If it's one or two every 16", great. Some times it takes more.

I just ask if they've ever had to re-do their work. When they say yes, I tell them, my work won't require a call back, it's there to stay.

Sooner Pesek · 02-17-2009, 09:58 PM

I use as many as needed to secure the trim to the jamb / wall, micro pin the outside corners and returns on base , crown , ect.

I don't think that I would glue to the wall just to make less nail holes-IMO

Painters can yell all they want, my job looks professional when I'm finished.

OW! My thumb · 02-17-2009, 10:00 PM

I havent seen a painter yet that DIDNT bitch about the nail holes.

Anyway, I usually put 8 (about 10" apart) brads, or staples, depending on the casing, on the door jamb, and 5-6 trim nails to hold the door casing to the wall. Always 2 on the bottom to hold it for base, and lock nails in the 45s. On windows Ill space them around the same, minus the 2 on the bottom.
On base, if its small 3 1/4, I put my gun in the center of the base and angle 1 nail down to hit the bottom plate,and put one in a stud if its a problem area. If base is more than 3-4 inches, Ill hit studs at the top to. If its 1x8 to 1x10 or 12, Ill put 3 nails in the stud.

leakygoose · 02-17-2009, 10:09 PM

When a painter complains about plugging nail holes I just look at them and say thats to bad ,theres 3300 in this house,give or take a hundred ,if you would like to know .

Most trim carpenters that have been at for a while can tell you how many nails they will use per house .I have even seen that the sq ft has a correlation to the amount of nails you will use and profit .

Over 3000 sq ft ,nails per sq ft goes up and profit goes down .

**loneframer** · 02-17-2009, 10:12 PM

Door casings get shot to the jamb every 10" min.into the framing every 12" min. with 16 ga. If the painter spasses I offer to putty myself. Problem solved. Base gets stud nailed 2 nails min. per 16".

woodworkbykirk · 02-17-2009, 10:22 PM

one crew i know of glues everything to the wall and for casings every 6" into the jambe, every 12" into the wall more if required, baseboard, every 8 " on the top and every stud bottom, if steel stud every 8" cross nailed , light sand your joints, and touch up spackle as required, worked for them for a week. wasnt down for working for a sub being payed as a sub

**loneframer** · 02-17-2009, 10:27 PM

I never bought into gluing to drywall, I just dont see the point, the paper will still seperate from the gypsum. If the door is shimmed and fastened properly it shouldn't budge.

catawba · 02-17-2009, 11:14 PM

Sooner Pesek

"SKILLED Carpenters aren't CHEAP , CHEAP Carpenters aren't SKILLED " --- saw this on a t-shirt a while back ---

Never seen that one.

Deadhead Derek · 02-18-2009, 03:05 AM

I remember a job where the painter was bitching about the amount of nails I use (exactly the amount required, of course) so I walked away and into a room that was already prepped for paint, out of sight, but close, picked up a hunk of scrap and just started firing away with the porter cable..... that whiney bastard about pissed himself running into the room to stop me.... I loved it. he didn't find it funny. some of those painters have no sense of humor.

As to the OP, I use the amount above 16 O.C. as required to keep my trim flat to the wavy walls and crappy jamb stock, when I do have the misfortune of working on a new home.

jaros bros. · 02-18-2009, 08:27 AM

I pocket hole all my joints...biscuit join small casings and trim and then install fully assembled if I can. I try to get one finished coat of paint on if I can. Then after installing it's just a quick fill of the 16 guage nail holes, a sanding, and then a face coat. Most jobs I do the painting.

john5mt · 02-18-2009, 08:07 PM

Tell him youre giving him job security.

I dont understand complaining about nail holes. Probably nothing else to complain about behind you so he has to find some excuse. I remember when i painted professionally i didnt care about filling extra holes, i just got pissed when there were gaps so big i had to come back more than once to fill them with caulk.

On paint grade trim i usually caulk the inside corners as of my base for the painters and the inside corner of door jambs if they havent before i install the door stop.