I want to put up crown molding in my house. After putting up some in the bathroom, I have decided that I will get better results in less time using a nail gun. I doubt I will ever do any kind of heavy carpentry so I don’t think I need a super heavy duty professional model but I do want something that will last a decade or more.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a good model that’s worth the money?
Do you want a battery powered one or pneumatic?
For hanging crown molding you’ll need a finish nailer. My brand of choice is Senco.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Senco-Pneumatic-15-Gauge-2-in-Angled-Finish-Nailer-9P0002N/314516140?
It seems like battery power would be best if it means not having to buy and hook into an air compressor.
Senco does have a battery powered model. I’ve never used it so I can’t vouch for it, but I have never been let down by them.
You may want to consider a whole line of battery powered tools that all run off of the same battery/charging system for ease sake. You can’t go wrong with Dewalt in my opinion. Makita and Ryobi are also dependable brands but are more light duty and therefore more economical.
I’ve used the same Senco finish gun professionally for 20+ years with zero maintenance. The Dewalt battery powered guns work well. You can also rent pretty affordably…
I have access to a Portercable pneumatic brad nailer and a DeWalt battery driven brad nailer. If I have less than 5 brads to tack I will grab the DeWalt, put in one brad, need to replace the battery, even though nobody has used it in the 2 weeks since the last time I changed the battery , the DeWalt cordless drills in the shop don’t have that issue even though the batteries are swapped all around.
The pneumatic means moving the compressor closer to my bench, but it has worked flawlessly for 15 years now. Just a drop of oil in the gun before connecting to the hose and off to the races.
Since you have a bigger project I would go pneumatic but maybe you have a better handle on your rage than I do when a tool battery dies before you can fasten the moulding after wrestling it into place.
The batteries used in power tools will discharge over time even without use. And a nail gun needs a specific amount of charge in order to operate, so it will cease long before the batt is completely discharged. A screwgun can continue to run even with very little charge left. This is certainly a consideration when deciding.
Tride makes a good point about renting. If this molding job is the only one you’ll do for a while, it may b better to rent. Or you could always buy the pneumatic nailer and rent the compressor and hoses.
I already have a Ryobi battery drill that uses the interchangeable battery. I think that may be the most economical choice for me.
The reviews actually look decent for the Ryobi. It’s a budget brand but I think they have a robust warranty, so go for it!
Well, there you go then.
My personal choice would be the angled version. It gives you more maneuverability, but the straight version should be just fine for crown.
I went with a pneumatic finisher nailer as I have an air compressor and every air tool and the compressor has been a worthwhile investment. I went with the Harbor Freight model of finisher nailer so it didn’t cost squat.
I got a compressor and an impact wrench 30 years ago, mainly because that’s all that was available. I have slowly increased my air tools to a family of 5 (impact, wrench, paint sprayer, nailer and grinder - I’ve also made a mini ski area style snow blower that really makes snow) which I have always found to be powerful, cheap and durable and all are as good as new.
Better used for stuff in the garage, however I have a long enough hose that I can use it in the rest of the house as well. While I would not go the compressor route for a single one time task, it is great for single one time tasks that you will find yourself reusing from time to time if you have a compressor. It’s a long term investment and yes not cordless, but are you going to have a cordless tool still work as new 20+ years from today (and is that a need of yours).