A piece of face frame from our kitchen cabinets, that was around a dishwasher, fell off yesterday. It had been attached (badly) with pin nails, many of which had not penetrated the inner frame and were bent up between the inner frame and the face frame (even at that, it lasted 10 years, but I think they used way more pins than they should have needed). These are 23-gauge pins.
The pins appear to have been 1-1/8", the frame itself is 3/4" thick. (I was not able to pull any of them out, they all snapped off, so that’s the best measurement I could get).
Should I try longer pins, maybe 1-1/4", or would they be even more likely to bend instead of penetrating the inner frame?
Are there any special tricks to getting these pins to go through instead of bending up in the middle? Is pneumatic better than cordless, or are they probably about the same?
eta: how many pins should I aim for using? This was for a drawer dishwasher, so the height is only 19-1/2", width is 26". Should I supplement with any construction adhesive (even a dab or two here and there)?
How much does the trim weigh? I’m trying to imagine whether we’re talking a honking piece of trim, or a sleight quarter round.
I’m no carpenter, not by a long shot, but I’ve done quite a few of this sort of thing, and 23 ga. is awfully small. I use 18ga. brads for this sort, and they never bend out on me. Should be small enough not to split unless the wood is really small.
I have had good luck with panel adhesive and a few brads. Best if you can get a few clamps on there to keep it tight while it sets. I like the panel adhesive because it can be broken with a putty knife later, if needed.
All that said- I’m a decent DIY-er, but if an actual craftsman comes along listen to him/her.
23ga pins are for either very thin (like 1/8”) material, or very soft thicker material (like MDF (maybe)). I’d glue and clamp the face frame, and use screws from the back.
The thickness of the material is 3/4" and it’s not soft, it’s solid wood, as is the inner frame. This is a finished kitchen, and there isn’t access to clamp to anything, at least not that I can see. Also no way to get access to screw from the back, without removing the dishwasher. I don’t have a scale that will weigh something this light, it’s more than a pound and probably less than 2 pounds.
I guess I could use brads. The crappy contractor who put together our kitchen didn’t bother to fill the pin holes, but if there are brad holes I will have to fill them. Do they make headless brads?
Yes, you can buy 18ga headless brads:
Just to add, I’m pretty sure the ones I have came from Home Depot.
Agree also with galvanized- kitchens are wet. I have made that mistake and had rust staining.