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I want to buy a nail gun for framing job (mainly holding the frame to the concrete floor)

I have never used a nail gun before

I found this one

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/freeman-pneumatic-34-degree-clipped-head-framing-nailer/1001123340

seems, it needs an air compressor

I found this one

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/ridgid-6-gallon-pancake-compressor-and-2-1-8-inch-brad-nailer-kit/1001382695

I am reading at the nail gun desc that "Min. Recommended Air Delivery at 90PSI (SCFM) is 12.85"

while the air compressor desc says "Air Delivery at 90PSI (SCFM) is 2.6"

can I use this air compressor for this nail gun?

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    I don't think you can use that to attach a frame to concrete.
    – Steve Wellens
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 5:43
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    use a nailer designed for the job ... it uses shells similar to a gun to drive nails ... homedepot.com/s/concrete%20nailer?searchtype=text&NCNI-5
    – jsotola
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 5:58
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    Or get a hammer drill and appropriate bit, and use tapcon screws or other concrete fasteners. Or, if it's nonstructural, consider skipping the fasteners and just using construction adhesive...
    – keshlam
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 7:25
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    Those guns specs are flat-out weird. I can only guess that it's either an error, or that the gun is spectacularly inefficient and wastes more air than a comparable name brand. (FWIW, Freeman doesn't have a great reputation in my circles, and that price seems high.)
    – Aloysius Defenestrate
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 11:55
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    To the VtC folks - this isn't really shopping (though that's what the OP is doing), but more of a "how do I make these two products work together". We've got 10000 of those questions for smart thermostats with various HVAC units and they all stay open...
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 13:55

2 Answers 2

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Forget about the air compressor for a moment. You should really reconsider getting the nailgun at all.

First off, in your specific project, that nail gun is not going to do the job. The one linked and those like it are for putting nails into wood, they won't put nails into concrete. You try and shoot a nail into concrete or stone with one of those, you are going to be in for a very unpleasant and dangerous surprise.

Even ignoring that, framing nailers are not a very good use of money for DIY usage. I have one, and it very rarely ever gets any use. Even when I do use it, I use it more to rationalize hanging onto it, every time I use it I could also use screws just fine. Especially considering the fact that you are considering one for the wrong task, it is especially clear you don't need it. The real advantage of a nailgun is that nails are cheap and the gun is fast, but for DIY, neither of those criteria are important. Instead, just use construction screws with a regular drill. Buy a few boxes of the DeckMate self-tapping screws and you're good to go, those things are awesome.

Sure, nailguns are big and loud and fun to machine gun nails into things, so if you really want to use one because of that, rent one first. After you've seen how (in)frequently you need one, then go back to the decision of whether to buy one.

For attaching your framing to the concrete, use a hammer drill and appropriate concrete screws. Buy or rent one as appropriate. Hammer drills suitable for drilling a handful of screws for your project have a great deal of additional utility vs a framing nailer which is really only good for rough carpentry.

Lastly, a compressor like that is fine for powering a nailgun like you linked for DIY purposes. The specs call for a bigger compressor, but that's for construction crews that are shooting thousands of nails a week and are getting paid by the hour. A small compressor you may have to wait occasionally for the compressor to recharge, but for DIY that's no big deal. Just don't try to shoot nails into concrete!

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  • Thanks a lot, that is a great advice and helped me doing the right thing. appreciate it.
    – asmgx
    Commented Jan 13, 2023 at 0:21
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You need a compressor with specs that equal or exceed the requirements of the nail gun.

The compressor you are looking does not meet the requirements and, luckily, both have been given in the same units rated at 90PSI.

Look for a bigger compressor or a smaller nail gun.

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    Those compressor specs are for usage where you are basically shooting nails all day everyday and don't want to stop and wait around for the tank to recharge. For DIY, an 'undersized' compressor works just fine where you're only shooting a few nails at a time.
    – whatsisname
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 7:47
  • Air usage specs are important, even for infrequent nailer use, @whatsisname. If there isn't enough air available for the gun's use, then it won't be able to drive the nails deep enough. I've used a nailer before and had that issue because I set the outlet pressure too low - nailer wouldn't set nails, even when adjusted to max depth. Same problem if the compressor can't deliver enough volume.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 14:20
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    @FreeMan: pressure and volume are different parameters though, and virtually all of those at HD or similar are going to get up to 130-150 PSI which is enough. If you set the outlet too low you're going to have problems even with a massive 500 gallon diesel driven compressor. And, as I alluded to, the volume of those 6 gal compressors is enough for a handful of nails at a time. In other words, they don't have to be absolutely met as long as you understand how they work.
    – whatsisname
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 14:37
  • @FreeMan PSI drives the depth, under-volume just mean the damn thing will run about the whole time, and you might, in a severe case, have to wait for it to refill (thus achieving max pressure) before driving each nail.
    – dandavis
    Commented Jan 12, 2023 at 21:13

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