Roofing nailer

300UGUY · Apr 5, 2015

I need to repair the roof on a commercial building I own. The shingles on one side a getting pretty funky. The other side already had a 2nd covering of shingles and looks ok. I plan on putting a 2nd roof on the bad side, I don't want to do a tear off, as I plan on selling the building in a couple of years. I plan on buying a air nailer of some sort to do the job. I need to use some pretty long nails, to go thru the old roof & the new. What would you guys recommend?

ultrarunner · Apr 5, 2015

Many years ago I bought a senco nailer and it's never missed a beat.

My neighbor bought a harbor freight and has done 3 roofs with it and no problems... said with the coupon... it was very cheap.

Code only allows one re-roof here without a tear-off... so even with premium shingles... material is not too thick.

truckdiagnostics · Apr 5, 2015

Bostitch coil roofing nailer. Then get a light weight air hose. Used it three times, now when anybody asks for help with there roof, I just loan them the nailer and tare off shovels. Its worth it just for that alone.

Teikas Dad · Apr 5, 2015

I bought a rebuilt Bostitch coil roofing nailer to do the roof on my workshop. It was like 1/3 the price of a new one and warrantied by Bostich. The paint on the outside was a bit rough but it worked fine.

SPIKER · Apr 5, 2015

I posted in other nailer thread & have 2 of the HF guns, I bought one and it didnt work well out of the box would blow nail thru today's cheap shingles. I took it back and it was replaced with a new one which worked better, I bought a 2nd one so myself and my brother could both hammer in nails when we did my GFs house 3 years ago... Both are working & thinking about selling one of them.

M

brokenknee · Apr 5, 2015

I have both a bostich and a hitachi roofing nailers'. If I am the only one roofing I grab the hitachi, it is a little lighter and the little bit of weight makes a big difference at the end of the day.

PILOON · Apr 5, 2015

I have an old beat up Makita that with a rebuild kit has proven flawless.
Bought it on EBay for pocket change and then rebuilt it.
All roofing nail guns use the same nail coils and most have adjustments for penetration depth.

I for one would prefer good used (or new) Hitachi, Bostitch or Makita over 'no brand' types.

FredH · Apr 5, 2015

I also have the Harbor Freight roofing nailer . Has worked flawless for over 3 years now on 4 different roofs . One roof was a repair of the third layer , ( 3 layers are allowed here by code before a strip down is required ) . One was a new install of 3 tab and another was a new install of rolled roofing . Have also used various size , ( length ) coil nails , again , with out any issue's . Actaully used some of the H.F. coiled nails and my nailer to nail up 16" steel flashing around the bottom of my parents pump house to keep the mice / rats / squirrels from chewing through the wood into the pump house .

Just like any other air tool , couple of drops of oil everyday before use and keep on nailing .

Fred H.

ultrarunner · Apr 6, 2015

My Senco are no oil models and one was actually damaged when someone oil it... otherwise no problems.

Guess I'm the only one with Senco?

rtimgray · Apr 7, 2015

I'm a big fan of the Harbor Freight nailers. I got my roofing nailer for about $60 with coupon and have done quite a bit of roofing. I haven't installed a second roof on top of an existing one with it, though, so I don't know how it would do with longer nails.

If you are close to a HF store, I don't think you can go too wrong with one, especially if you are planning on just doing this roof and then not much more down the road.

Good luck and take care.

Shift4200 · Apr 7, 2015

I have a Dewalt Coil roofer that I got "Free" when I bought their job-site radio. Funny part is, i went looking for a nailer and ended up buying the radio for less than I'd have gotten a comparable Bostitch nailer. I use it with a lightweight hose and small Bostitch pancake compressor.

So far she runs like a sewing machine, no complaints at all.

-J

EddieWalker · Apr 7, 2015

How long do the nails need to be? Before considering a coil nailer, be sure the nails length you need exists. And remember that for a nail to work properly on a roof, the shank of the nail has to go through the sheething. In some older buildings, that wood is sometimes 3/4 of an inch thick. Add what's on top of it and the only option is buying roofing nails and putting them in with a hammer. I have two coil nailers. An old Hilti that is worn out and super heavy, and a DeWalt that is pure junk, but I keep putting it back together with wire to get me through the next project. It's days are numbered and when it's done, I'm buying Hitachi. I have a Hitachi framing gun that is night and day better then anything else I've owned or used.

Eddie

Woody65 · Apr 7, 2015

I have always used Bostitch coil roofing nailers. Have 3 of them now. They get used everyday and no issues. If you are doing a nail over, 1 3/4 inch nails are plenty. Any good coil roofing nailer will handle 1 inch to 2 1/4 inch nails. Good luck

BHD · Apr 8, 2015

I have a Bostitch and has done well for me,

clemsonfor · Apr 9, 2015

The guy i use to work with bought the HF roofing nailer. He used it on his roof on his 4000+sqft home but it was 2 stories with walk out basement. no issues he said. He also used it to roof a 2 car garage he built and again said it was flawless.

I have heard many pro roofers dont like them cause they blow through shingles and have observed many roof crews not useing them even on big companies around here, not just the small guys??

I am not a roofer though and dont like it! I will do small fether in repairs or small patches but dont look foward to whole roofs

clemsonfor · Apr 9, 2015

I also own almost every air nailer HF sells. I have a16 gauge ones one thats straight i think?. I have an 18 gauge brad nailer, and a 15 gauge one thats angled. I also have the floor nailer. I wore my first flooring nailer out after about 200 sqfeet but the second one was already better from the first 10 blows and lasted the remaining 230+ sqft fine and did not show the same wear signs the first one did so i asuume it to be fine.

I have used a HF framing nailer that i borrowed from a co worker. It worked fine and used clipped head nails.

I think i have a bostich framing nailer and a few smaller guns i got free. They work well but i have only used the framing nailer once or so on a small project.

The Suburban Farmer · Apr 9, 2015

I'm not a professional, but I've had good luck with my Harbor Freight air nailers. I started with the small brad nailer, then went with the 3-1 Framing nailer and their roofing nailer when I was building the chicken coop and the shed. I can honestly say that I've never had a problem with any of them, barring user error (air pressure not set right, etc.) ALL of these guns are sensitive the the nail loading, though -- if you get down to just a few nails in the gun it will sometimes jam. Since I don't do this every day for a living, I'm ok with that small trade-off for the price. I accommodate that by making sure I refill my nails, and I've found clearing the jams to be easy. I've dropped them off of roofs and dropped them onto concrete floors, and they handled the abuse just fine. I would want something nicer if I was a pro, but for my use, I've been pleased with them.

Dr_Zinj · Apr 9, 2015

Only have one shingle to replace from this winter. I'll be using my old reliable mark I, Sears/Craftsman claw hammer.

ultrarunner · Apr 9, 2015

Did several re-roofs with a claw hammer... then I bought the Senco and did a few more...

It sure did speed up production.... got so good with a helper it cut the time in half...

Diamondpilot · Apr 9, 2015

I bought a brand new Craftsman Magnesium nailer on Ebay for $75 to my door. It was still wrapped in the cellophane. Guy got it for Christmas and didn't need it. Did my Pole Barn and a few other jobs like a champ.

Chris