Finish Nailer for Baseboard, Quarter Round, and Shoe Molding Trim
Installing baseboard, quarter round and/or shoe molding is one of the most tedious parts of a flooring installation. To do this job by hand, you’d need a box of finish nails, a hammer, a stud funding, a nail set, and hours upon hours of patience and perseverance.
Fortunately, there’s a better way. The pneumatic finish nailer makes quick work of baseboard, quarter round, and shoe molding installation by nailing and countersinking finish nails by simply pulling a trigger. The time savings over a manual installation is about 90% (for every hour of work with a hammer and nail set, you’ll need only 6 minutes with a finish nailer). Finish nailers are easy to use even for the most novice baseboard installer and will guarantee a professional look.
We’ve personally done this job both ways (hammers, nails, bruised thumbs) on the one hand, darn quick fastening on the other. We’ll never go back.
Angled vs. Straight Finish Nailers
FInish nailers can be either angled or straight. An angled nailer holds the nail clip at a 20-45 degree angle from the drive piston, making it easier to get into tight spaces. A straight, or regular finish nailers holds the nail clip approximately 90 degrees from the firing piston, making it bulkier to get into tight spaces. Angled nailers cost slightly more as do their nails (they are usually a lower gauge), but may be worth the additional cost for their practicality in some applications (e.g., very tight spaces). If you are installing baseboard, quarter round, or shoe molding in most rooms, an angle finish nailer isn’t required and we wouldn’t pay the extra $ for it. Besides, the lower gauge (read: larger nails) may split the boards.
Recommended Nailer For Baseboard/Molding Installations
If you already own a compressor and only need a pneumatic finish nailer, we recommend this nailer from Bostitch (see further down if you don’t own a compressor):
The Bostitch nailer is a lightweight, magnesium-housing nailer that will handle any baseboard, quarter-round, or shoe molding installation. It can fire 1.25-2.5 inch nails making it suitable for a wide range of application and wood thicknesses. As a bonus, it comes with a carrying case, ships for free, and Amazon (the reseller tagged in the link above) doesn’t charge sales tax in most places, making this an excellent buy.
Recommended Finish Nailer (w/ Compressor)
If you need a compressor and finish nailer, we highly recommend buying a three nailer kit. You’ll basically pay for the compressor and one nailer, and get the second and third nailer for free.
Bostitch makes an excellent three nailer kit on Amazon at the following link:
Same deal as above — Amazon doesn’t charge shipping on this item, and also doesn’t charge sales tax in most places, making this about 5-10% cheaper than buying locally.
What do you think? Do you own these nailers? Have you installed quarter round? Weigh in below and tell us your experience…
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