25
An old framer on a job in Portland told me I was wasting time with my nail pattern
He showed me his trick with 3 nails instead of 5 on every stud, said it saved him 20 minutes per wall. Has anyone else gotten tips like that from the older guys that actually worked?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
owens.anthony17d ago
Man, I used to think you had to hit every spot in the book too. But after watching an old timer knock out a wall in half the time, I switched to 3 nails and it's held up just fine for years now.
10
christopherw3416d ago
... but what about when you're hanging a door or something that takes a lot of weight? I mean, I get it for interior walls and basic framing, but I've had a few heavy doors sag over time with just three nails. Did the old timer ever mention a specific weight limit or any kind of situation where you'd still want to go back to the full pattern? I'm trying to picture my luck with a solid core door and only three nails holding the whole thing...
4
jadej5017d ago
...and honestly, the inspector will walk right past it if you set those three nails right. I had an old framer tell me the same thing years ago, said the middle nail in a five pattern is just for show. He taught me to put one nail low, one high, and one right in the middle angled just a bit. It bites into the stud way better than five straight ones ever could. My walls have been up over a decade now with zero popping or shifting. Saves you time and money on nails, plus your wrist won't hurt as bad at the end of the day.
8