Masonry nails are designed to hold bricks or cinder blocks together and can be used for various installations. Cap nails are for softer materials, while slotted nails have grooves for extra strength. Powered masonry nails can cause damage and require caution. Matching nail type to material is important.
Masonry nails are a hardened nail designed to be driven into concrete or mortar used to hold bricks or cinder blocks together. The nail’s hardened steel shaft allows it to drive into the toughest materials without bending or dulling during installation. This lends masonry nails to a wide variety of installations ranging from fixing plywood sub-flooring to fixing carpet tack strips prior to carpet installation. All installations center around two types of masonry nails designed specifically for the type of material that is being attached to the masonry product.
Cap nails have a large diameter head designed to hold softer materials to a concrete surface. The shaft of masonry cap nails is thin and tapers to a fine point to easily drill through soft materials without damaging the nail on its way to the masonry product. Keep the nail perpendicular to the concrete when installing or the tip of the nail rod will strike the masonry at an angle and cause the masonry surface to bend or break away from the rest of the masonry product. Hitting hard against the surface material will cause the material to compress and damage or weaken the surface of the material.
Slotted nails have a thicker shaft than cap nails, and the shaft contains numerous grooves or ridges that allow the nail to grip the masonry. Each groove cuts into the masonry as the nail is driven into the material, causing small grooves to form in the masonry. This gives the nail extra strength and prevents it from tearing easily from the concrete. These nails are commonly found on carpet adhesive strips and are pre-set in building accessories designed for mounting to masonry walls. Another type of masonry nail drives into masonry without manually swinging a hammer.
Powered Masonry Nails use thin shaft protection nails or thick shafts as slotted nails. Both air and powder-powered tools are used to drive power-driven masonry into the concrete surface, but they can cause damage to the softer mortar found between bricks or blocks. A user using a power tool to drive nails into masonry should use caution to avoid injury from flying concrete or nails that do not fully set when fired. Matching a nail type to the conditions and material type ensures that the installed nails provide adequate holding force for an installed material.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
