Best Nails For Fencing

Spending precious time and money on your new fence just to have it look unsightly, or worse fall, isn’t what you want, is it? Unfortunately, a poor choice of nails could cause exactly that. So, to help you avoid this needless and painful scenario, we’ve put together a list of nail related questions and tackled them here.

Stay tuned for information on different nail types and discover where they’re most effective.

How can rust damage my fence?

Rust occurs when iron reacts with oxygen and water, and while fences are installed outside, these elements simply can’t be escaped. However, you can protect your fence using the right nails.

Low quality nails often go rusty, causing rust to leak down the wooden fence panels. Not only does this creates an ugly appearance with brown/orange stains but damages the integrity of the timber. This produces splinters and causes the timber to break, loosening the nails and eventually results in a fallen fence.

While fences can be treated to prevent rot and insect attacks, timber can’t be protected against rust. This is why the use of high quality galvanised or stainless steel nails are a must. If poor quality nails are used to secure you fence during installation, you won’t find your fencing lasting as long as you’d hoped.

Bright, galvanised or stainless steel nails?

There are 3 main nail materials, which should be used depending on the application. Bright, galvanised, and stainless steel. But which is best used for erecting your fence?

Bright nails

These are standard nails with no surface coating. Bright nails are vulnerable to rust and corrosion when exposed to the elements, so should never be used for fencing. As no protection is applied, bright nails should be used for internal projects only.

Galvanised nails

Regular steel nails that have been hot dip coated in in zinc are known as galvanised nails. The zinc coating creates a barrier to protect the nails from reacting with water, oxygen and the surrounding environment. This creates a corrosion resistant nail.

At Birkdale, we offer a premium range of fixings with SiteMate®. Our SiteMate® brand offers a selection of galvanised nails/screws including:

• SiteMate® Collated Ring Shank Nails
• SiteMate® PowerPro® Timber Screws
• SiteMate® Pan Head PowerPro® Timber Screws

If you’re looking for galvanised nails to complete your fencing installation, contact us at Birkdale today, or discover more about our SiteMate® range.

Stainless steel nails

Stainless steel nails are produced when ordinary steel is mixed with 10% or more of chromium when in the molten state. This creates a stronger metal that prevents rusting. Given the added chromium, stainless steel is generally stronger than galvanised steel and gains a shiny, bright appearance. However, due to the added manufacturing efforts, stainless steel is more expensive than galvanised steel.

Most fences will be secured effectively using galvanised nails, but for coastal areas, stainless steel is recommended. The salty sea air has a harsh effect on metals, meaning extra protection is needed for a long-lasting fence.

If stainless steel nails are needed for your fencing project, our SiteMate® range includes everything you need. Contact our expert team today for more information, we’d be more than happy to recommend a nail best suited to your requirements.

Ring shank nails or round wire nails?

Now that we’ve covered nail materials, which type of nail is best suited for your installation?

Ring shank nails

Ring shank nails consist of spirals which are used to increase the holding power massively. The continued spiral pattern provides friction when hammered into wood, resulting in extra grip to prevent loosening over time.

An important thing to note: While ring shank nails are great for providing a stronger hold, they are harder to remove if placed incorrectly. When drilling, take your time and concentrate on precision.

In short, ring shank nails should be used where extra holding power in needed.

Round wire nails

Round wire nails are smooth in nature, allowing them to drive into the wood more easily. Although they don’t provide as much strength as ring shank nails, they still offer great holding power for general fencing applications.

At Birkdale, we offer an extensive range of both ring shank and round wire nails in various sizes and finishes. From 1kg bags to 25kg boxes, we have everything you need. Browse our SiteMate® fixings offering or contact our friendly team today for more information.