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Do I need a nail gun for framing?

Unless you feel like taking your time with a hammer and nails, you're going to want a framing nailer. The heavy-duty sibling of smaller finish and brad nailers, framing nailers are essential if you plan on tackling any kind of structural remodeling to your home.

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The heavy-duty sibling of smaller finish and brad nailers, framing nailers are essential if you plan on tackling any kind of structural remodeling to your home. They’re also designed for maximum durability, allowing them to stand up to the rugged environments of busy work sites, and use a long, angled magazine that helps to streamline their body for maximum maneuverability. They’re not suitable for delicate projects or material, but if you’re adding an addition to your home, putting in a deck, or assembling a tool shed, a reliable framing nailer is worth its weight in gold.

What to Consider

Since all framing nailers are going to perform the same task—sinking framing nails—the biggest factor to take into account is their individual power source. While pneumatic nailers have a practically unlimited runtime, it can be a hassle to drag around a compressor and air hose. Paslode models that use a gas fuel cell are more convenient while you work, but you’ll need to keep a supply of cells on hand, and these models are also very expensive. Battery-powered options also allow you to be more mobile, but their high price and limited runtime may not be practical for some users.

How We Selected

Our experiences as residential and commercial carpenters, as well as time spent on a variety of construction projects, have given us a lot of insight into what makes a great framing nailer. We used this experience — in addition to online research and other expert opinions — to populate our list with the most trusted names in framing nailers, like Metabo, Paslode, and Bostitch. It’s worth noting that if you notice a lack of Hitachi products in our picks, that’s because Hitachi nailers are now sold under the Metabo name, and we’ve found no evidence to suggest that the quality of their products has suffered.

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What shed material lasts the longest?

Metal sheds are more durable as they are fire, insect, rot, and weather resistant. They can rust, but they are more durable to the elements vs. wood. Resin is the most durable because it's weather-resistant to fading, rusting, warping, rotting, insects, and fire.

The final decision on what shed to purchase comes down to your personal preference. The differences between resin vs. wood vs. metal can be narrowed down into 4 categories: price, durability, maintenance, and assembly. When it comes to price, wood is the most expensive and least environmentally friendly option, the resin is the second-most expensive and the most environmentally friendly option, and metal is the cheapest but the hardest to transport and assemble. All three materials are durable and will be able to hold anything you store. But you’ll want to remember which options are going to last the longest through the harshest weather elements. Wooden sheds are not necessarily waterproof and are not resistant to fire or rotting. Metal sheds are more durable as they are fire, insect, rot, and weather resistant. They can rust, but they are more durable to the elements vs. wood. Resin is the most durable because it’s weather-resistant to fading, rusting, warping, rotting, insects, and fire. Assembly is the final factor to consider when purchasing a shed. Some wooden sheds are already built and just require you to install them. However, most wooden sheds are difficult to build and require a lot of work and patience. Metal sheds are also difficult to install and once they are built, it’s very difficult to transport a metal shed. Resin is the easiest to build and easy to move to a new location because of its lightweight material.

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