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How many nails in YOUR door casing?

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#21 ·
The only problem with marking your jamb for the trim reveal is if it is natural finish. THen you will have little pencil marks all up the jamb. Do it all by eye. 3/16 -1/4. I was actually just setting some oak colonial casing today on some jambs i set yesterday. I was shooting into the framing with 16 gauge and then i hit the jamb with the 18 gauge brad gun. Pry about 5-6 in the side jamb 3-4 in the head sounds about right. It all depends on that specific door. Some require a few more, some a few less, but brads into the jamb every 8" sounds mighty excessive. I only went about every 16 and/or where necessary.

I'm sure the painter will love the finish carpenter that makes the trim look like swiss cheese. :furious:
 
#24 ·
jeffatsquan said:
Ayup, gauge block fast and accurate no pencil marks
Click to expand...
I use the thickness of my swanson speed square or a small combination square. Somewhere in the are of 3/16th:laughing:
 
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#25 ·
katoman said:
Another specification is that the cassing shall be set back 2.5mm, or 3/32" from the edge of the jamb.

On gov't work the finishing inspector actually has a gauge to chech this. It it isn't right on, you will be changing it.

I made myself a gauge, and pre-mark the jamb before I install the cassing.

When we install oak doors, we install the jamb with screws counter sunk behind the door stops, so there are no exposed nails. Painters love this.:clap:
Click to expand...

They actually check the reveal? wow
 
#26 ·
The sign of a homeowner's work is way to many nails. A basic understanding of the holding power of a nail based on location and size is usually missing so they nail away like there is no tommorow, then we come in to demo and spend hrs, sometimes they even glue stuff up when it is not neccesary. I have taken down kitchen cab's put up with 16's:eek:, gutters with lag bolts, and a few other doozies. Is this guy the HO?GMOD
 
#27 ·
genecarp said:
The sign of a homeowner's work is way to many nails. A basic understanding of the holding power of a nail based on location and size is usually missing so they nail away like there is no tommorow, then we come in to demo and spend hrs, sometimes they even glue stuff up when it is not neccesary. I have taken down kitchen cab's put up with 16's:eek:, gutters with lag bolts, and a few other doozies. Is this guy the HO?GMOD
Click to expand...
I think there was a period of time in this area (possibly 50's - 60's) where it was common practice to hang cabinets with 16's via some type of manual palm nailer. They all seem to be set with a round headed driver of some type, but I seriously doubt they were using a pneumatic one.

Interesting how some things that were common at one time are a mystery to us now.

Back on topic, sort of...
Sounds like some of you nail your casing to the framing first then to the jamb. I go the other way to get the reveal as good as I can. Am I not reading that right?
 
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#28 ·
Gus Dering said:
Back on topic, sort of...
Sounds like some of you nail your casing to the framing first then to the jamb. I go the other way to get the reveal as good as I can. Am I not reading that right?
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Good catch, I didn't even pick that up when reading. I nail my casing to the jambs first.
 
#29 ·
about 6-7 down the side (into jamb first) two at about the bottom and top of what the base will be (so the base doesnt push my reveal off) and then 4-5 up the length into the framing. i screw the jamb on the hinge side into the opening behind the stop. Miters are glued and clamped.
 
Discussion starter · #31 ·
Thanks for the responses. Even though my wife knows the GC, I'm still going to bill for the two hours it took for someone to go back through the units and add all the extra nails to the casing we had already installed.

At first I thought, 'meh, it's just a couple of hours,' but then I thought 'why should I eat two hours of labor cost b/c the GC has a special way to install trim?' And if I do this for free (hell, it's actually at a loss), what's next?

It would be one thing if the GC had told me about her special nailing schedule BEFORE I installed the casing, or even after I completed the first unit. But to say this after all five units were done? Eff that.
 
#32 ·
Sounds like a billable extra to me. Create a Change Order and have her sign & pay before you do any extra nailing.

For me, 8 nails on each side.
Hinge side
2 for the miter
2 level with each other approx 1/3 the way down
2 level with each other approx 2/3 the way down
2 level with each other at the bottom

repeat for the strike side

Head casing gets 6 nails
2 at the miter
2 in the middle
2 on the other miter

All nails should have a distinct pattern not just randomly set wherever.

The reason
You know when you have finished nailing off the trim
The painter can find the holes easier (especially in dark trim)
 
#33 ·
18ga into the jamb first, never counted how many but I would guess every 12" or so 4 16ga into the framing on sides 3 on top, miters pinned together with 18ga.
The feedback I get from painters is not about how many nails but appreciation for taking the time to match trim so they don't have to constantly adjust their filler
 
#34 ·
Burns-Built said:
The only problem with marking your jamb for the trim reveal is if it is natural finish. THen you will have little pencil marks all up the jamb. Do it all by eye.
Click to expand...
I use the same system whether it is paint grade or stain grade. I make a little block on the table saw that last the whole job. It is about a 2"x2" block with a rabbet on it. It is set at 3/16". On stain grade, you use it as a guide and not mark the jambs. You get perfect, and I mean perfect, reveals 100% of the time.

Gus Dering said:
Back on topic, sort of...
Sounds like some of you nail your casing to the framing first then to the jamb. I go the other way to get the reveal as good as I can. Am I not reading that right?
Click to expand...
I nail the casing to the jamb first also.

To answer the question of how many:

5 pairs on the sides, 2 bottom, 2 top, 2 middle, then 1/4 and 3/4 distance.
3 pairs across the top unless it is wider than 3'. 2 on the ends, 2 in the middle.
 
Discussion starter · #35 ·
framerman said:
I use the same system whether it is paint grade or stain grade. I make a little block on the table saw that last the whole job. It is about a 2"x2" block with a rabbet on it. It is set at 3/16". On stain grade, you use it as a guide and not mark the jambs. You get perfect, and I mean perfect, reveals 100% of the time.
Click to expand...
Great idea.
 
#36 ·
I preassemble my casing on the floor useing 2-P10, Collins clamps, and 23ga. Eye-ball equal reveal, 23ga. to the jam, 18ga. to framing as needed to pull it to the wall. This has improved both speed and accuracy. Thank you Basswood!!! You da MAN....:notworthy
 
#37 ·
Gus Dering said:
I think there was a period of time in this area (possibly 50's - 60's) where it was common practice to hang cabinets with 16's via some type of manual palm nailer. They all seem to be set with a round headed driver of some type, but I seriously doubt they were using a pneumatic one.
Click to expand...

Tell me about it :censored::furious::censored::furious::censored: I just took the kitchen out from my new house and a guy wanted me to keep the cabinets for him. Well after the first cabinet the rest come down with a sledge hammer. The nails stayed in the wall and i couldnt even get them out and ended cutting them all flush and punching them all into the studs.
 
#38 ·
How many nails in YOUR door casing?
Click to expand...
10 per door side on the casing,or 5 per jack, sometimes more if it needs it, and 6 to 10 (depends on how and if the jamb material is warped ) on the jamb to hold the shims, to get the reveal right and to hear that solid SLAP (none of that buzzing sound) when you close the door. So 20 normally in the casing (both sides) and 26-30 total. Maybe a little more for double hung doors (to get them right) and, for french doors, I use 3" screws through the hinges.

If he wants to see more holes, just take the nails out of the gun and shoot away. Been there done that,and it pisses the painter off but,.....
 
#39 ·
katoman said:
Another specification is that the cassing shall be set back 2.5mm, or 3/32" from the edge of the jamb.

On gov't work the finishing inspector actually has a gauge to chech this. It it isn't right on, you will be changing it.

I made myself a gauge, and pre-mark the jamb before I install the cassing.

When we install oak doors, we install the jamb with screws counter sunk behind the door stops, so there are no exposed nails. Painters love this.:clap:
Click to expand...
We set all our windows at 1/8" reveal and doors at 1/4" reveal. We PL the back, use as many nails as necessary and often use trim screws if required. We do our own filling and sanding and leave a finish sanded primer coat for the painters. Very rarely do we need dap because the casing isn't tight to the drywall. All our mitres are glued with biscuits and clamped. Never had a call back because of something cracking or moving.
 
#40 ·
tang said:
I preassemble my casing on the floor useing 2-P10, Collins clamps, and 23ga. Eye-ball equal reveal, 23ga. to the jam, 18ga. to framing as needed to pull it to the wall. This has improved both speed and accuracy. Thank you Basswood!!! You da MAN....:notworthy
Click to expand...
Thanks man. I like the pre-assembly and eyeballing as you mention, but I like 18 ga. for casing to jamb and 16 ga. to framing. I use the 23 ga. for glued returns, etc.

Cheers,

Bass
 
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