What Is The Difference Between First Fix & Second Fix Nail Guns?

Last Updated: February 01, 2019

1 comments 1 Feb 2019

Nail guns are really convenient pieces of equipment for a range of joinery and woodworking jobs on site. Whether you are roofing, wall framing, installing skirting or building furniture, a nail gun provides a fast and effective way of getting the job done.

There are two main types of nail gun, designed for different applications:

First fix nail guns - also referred to as framing nailers.
Second fix nail guns - also referred to as finishing nailers and brad nailers.

What Is The Difference Between First Fix & Second Fix Nail Guns?

The key difference between first fix and second fix nail guns is that first fix nail guns are more powerful machines that use larger nails for heavy duty framing applications. Whilst second fix nail guns are slightly more delicate and refined pieces of equipment that use smaller nails for a range of ‘finishing’ applications.

First fix nail guns are used for rough wood work on site - the results of which are not really visible. This sort of work requires strong and robust fixing, such as roofing, wall framing and flooring. First fix / framing nailers typically leave some dents in the wood, yet this does not really matter because the purpose of the job is not aesthetic, as the work will not really be visible.

Second fix nail guns are used for the more delicate finishing work on site, such as door frames, skirting, furniture and more. The results of this work are more visible, so second fix nail guns typically use finishing nails or brad nails, which are thin and have very small or no heads. This means that they cause less splitting in the wood and give a more refined finish.

We have a great range of professional standard nail guns for hire. Our nail guns are battery powered pieces of equipment that use air cartridges to shoot the nails into the wood. These cordless nailers allow you to work anywhere without the restriction of cables or air hoses. Our first fix framing nailers are designed for use with clipped head nails between 50mm and 90mm, whilst our second fix nail guns are brad nailers, designed for use with 16 gauge nails between 15mm and 64mm.

You can book a nail gun hire online or over the phone with us and collect from your local store, or we can deliver to you. We can also supply all the nails and air cartridges you need to get the job done.