Hot take: Should you pound a nail straight or let it angle on trim work?

I had a rough Tuesday last week in Austin where I nailed up 40 feet of baseboard and every single nail either bent or went crooked... took me forever to pull them out and start over. The next day I let them angle slightly and everything held perfect, no warps or splits. So which is it, straight and risk the split or angle and risk the homeowner noticing?

3 comments

3 Comments

alice_allen55d ago

Hold up though, you want the nail slightly angled for trim work. Straight in is for framing where you're burying into a stud. On baseboard, a slight downward angle helps grab the subfloor or the wall plate better and stops the wood from splitting. Plus nobody's gonna notice a 5 degree angle on a nail head unless they're literally staring at it with a level.

jenny1985d ago

Do you really think a 5 degree angle is enough to stop splitting on something like oak or really dry pine? I swear I still get cracks even angling on brittle trim if I don't pre-drill first. Have you ever had a nail angle cause the board to walk or shift before it sets?

olivia_lopez984d ago

okay but heres something nobody's bringing up - what about the nails direction relative to the grain? like if youre angling the nail into the grain instead of across it, you get way less splitting even with zero pre drill. i tested this on some really brittle old pine i had and angling along the grain was a game changer. also helps with the board walking issue jenny mentioned since the nail kinda follows the wood fibers instead of fighting them.