Roofing and siding projects have you working with a lot of different buildings materials – from wood to felt, metal to vinyl and maybe even some clay tile thrown in here and there. All of that variety requires a host of different specialty fasteners and all are designed to hold on and hold up for years.
Add in the fact that sealing against water is often an issue, and you’ll find that roofing or siding hardware gets some superhero qualities that make them as tough as… well, nails.
Roofing Projects
Roofing Nails are sort of all purpose for this project. Use them to attach your roofing felt, insulation board, speed board or asphalt shingles. Available in hot-dipped galvanized or electro-galvanized, these come with a heavy barbed or ring shank and wide head for good staying power. As a bonus, you can use these nails on your siding as well.
Roofing Nails can also come with a Neoprene Washer, which is a fancy little addition that works well with steel or other types of flat roofing to provide a water resistant seal. Look for brands that also carry a painted shank available in a variety of colors.
Copper Roofing Nails are made specifically for use with copper flashing. They come with a wide head and are made with, you guessed it, copper.
Metal Cap / Plastic Cap Nails are specialty products used for housewrap, felt or sheathing projects. They tend to have a ring shank and come with a wide plastic ring at the head for excellent holding power. Metal cap nails have the same distinct design but can be used for asphalt shingles and insulation as well and come with either smooth, ring or spiral heavy shank. The metal cap is also available in a square shape or round like its plastic cousin.
Shingle Nails are used mainly for thinner, sidewall shingles and have a narrow, smooth shank to reduce splitting. The head is large and flat – perfect for easy driving.
Lead Head Nails (not to be confused with Red Head Nails, my personal favorite) are used with metal roofing only. Like magic, the bulging head flattens on impact to form a seal on the metal roofing panels. They’re available in smooth or spiral shanks.
Tile Nails are long and thin with a head that prevents the nail from getting lost in the pre-drilled hole of your Spanish clay tile roofing. Definitely a specialty product, but something you can’t do without when installing tile roofing.
Siding Project
Shake Nails can be considered a roofing product, unless you’re installing the cedar shakes as siding. You make the call. Either way, these short nails have a small head and are concealed easily for a nicer finish.
Hardboard Siding Nails are another specialty product that comes with an extra rigid shank for superior holding power. With smooth, ring or spiral shanks, you can also find this nail with blunt points (to avoid splits) or oval heads.
When you’re working with wood shakes or shingles – especially cedar – it’s always a good idea to upgrade to stainless steel nails. Many of the top brands will offer a lifetime warranty on stainless steel nails used with cedar or redwood shakes and siding.
Refer back to Part 1 or Part 2 in this series to cover all facets of nails. Get all the nailing hardware and info you need for any project in your home.