You might have a pretty good idea of the kind or specification of nails that would adequately hold your fascia board in place.
A dense fascia material, based on common sense, would need a fairly long fastener for a firm install.
Plus, a fascia board is an exterior component of a home, so nails that can withstand the elements would most definitely be your go to.
As suggested, logical reasoning can be relied on to some extent when figuring out the installation specifics of these roofing components.
Unless you’re an expert, it is not advisable to work on any component of your home without first finding out the proper way they are to be installed.
With that said, let’s take a look at the right types of nails for fascia boards.
Here’s the Nail You Should Use for Fascia Board
Finishing nails are the best for fascia boards. They are adequately thick and have considerable holding power. Exterior grade finishing nails should be used on fascia as they are rot-resistant and can withstand exposure. Go for exterior-grade nails that are galvanized or made of aluminum or stainless steel.
Which Nails Should You Use for Fascia Board?
A fascia board is a roofing component that is located at the lower part of a roof. It covers the roof decking and holds the overhead gutters in place.
This board is a major part of a home’s exterior, therefore, fixing and replacing it when necessary is a pretty essential step in the overall maintenance of your home.
As you already know, nails are very important components of the installation process of a fascia board.
You must know that nails aren’t the only types of fasteners that can be used on fascia boards, screws can be used as well.
If you wish to use nails on your fascia board, you should ensure you choose the right type.
Fascia boards require fasteners that can be used outdoors, so you must get an exterior grade nail for these roofing components.
A finishing nail is the most common nail used to install a fascia board. It has a small head and a fairly thick shank.
Should You Use Nails or Screws for Fascia?
Nails work equally as well as screws when used as a fastener for fascia boards.
Curious DIYers often want to know if these fixtures have any advantage over each other when used to secure these roofing components in place.
Nails and screws both work well on fascia boards, but you must consider some factors like the type of material your fascia board is made out of before choosing between the two fasteners.
In the list below, we will discuss the pros and cons of both the nails and screws,
Nails
- With nails, you will need to use your manual energy to drill it in with a hammer or a nail gun. It can be stressful, especially if your fascia material is thick.
- Nails can hold the fascia board tight and cannot be easily removed by wind. So, if the climate of your environment is harsh, you can try to use nails instead of a screw.
- Nails are more flexible, allowing for the normal contraction and expansion of materials due to heat.
- Nails are more robust fasteners than screws.
Screw
- Screws are easier to install. You can drill the hole and fix the screw with a screwdriver.
- Screws are easier to remove from the fascia board in case of replacement.
- Screws can damage the face of the board and cause the wood to split at the point of contact when drilled in with more force than necessary.
- Screws are not as strong as nails, although they are more tensile.
When reinstalling a fascia board that was previously nailed on, it’s best you use screws, so that you do not create more holes than necessary in the material.
The screws should be inserted into the existing holes that once held nails.
How to Choose Nails for Fascia Board?
Choosing the proper nail for your fascia board is quite easy.
First things first, ensure whatever fastener you go with is corrosion-resistant or coated with a suitable resistive material.
You can get a galvanized fastener or one coated with aluminum or stainless steel.
Finish nails are the recommended nails that you should use for fixing your fascia board. Finish nails are often expensive and have considerable holding power.
The length of the nail you choose now depends on the thickness of the fascia board.
There is a general rule that says that the nails you should use for any project should be able to penetrate the material to at least ¾ of its thickness.
How Many Nails Are Needed for the Fascia Board (How to Calculate!)
You need to calculate the number of nails you will need for your fascia board. To do that, you can follow the following steps.
- Measure the length of your roof, or if you are replacing an old fascia board, you can measure the old board.
- Divide the length measured in inches by 16. This is because the fascia board is recommended to be nailed between 16 to 24 inches apart.
You are diving with the least number to have an accurate number or excess if you use 24 inches. It is better to have more nails than needed than to be short of nails when constructing.
- The answer you get is the number of nails you need to purchase.
Summary
Nails are standard fasteners used to hold fascia boards in place. You should use only nails that can withstand the elements on fascia boards, these will hold up well for a considerably long time.
The right size and type of nail depend on the material used for the fascia board and its thickness.
The article also contains a list of steps to calculate the number of nails needed for a fascia board.
Be sure to check out our other articles, we have a lot of content on fascia boards that’d definitely interest you.
hunker.com/12612804/what-size-nails-for-fascia-boards
bobvila.com/articles/nails-vs-screws/
