What to use for attaching cedar pickets?

[Wes Billups]

I'm getting ready to build a 42" high cedar picket fence to try to keep my kids corralled in our yard. I'll be using 1x4's for the pickets.

I have a 1/4" pneumatic stapler and was wondering if 1-1/2" long staples would be sufficient to hold the pickets in place. The place I'm buying the materials from says that you have to use ring shank nails which I can get for my framing nailer but thought they may be overkill. Plus they are extremely expensive.

What does everyone think? Are 1-1/2" staples enough? I would plan on nailing two staples each at both the top and bottom rails.

Thanks,
Wes Billups

[Gary Keedwell]

I'm getting ready to build a 42" high cedar picket fence to try to keep my kids corralled in our yard. I'll be using 1x4's for the pickets.

I have a 1/4" pneumatic stapler and was wondering if 1-1/2" long staples would be sufficient to hold the pickets in place. The place I'm buying the materials from says that you have to use ring shank nails which I can get for my framing nailer but thought they may be overkill. Plus they are extremely expensive.

What does everyone think? Are 1-1/2" staples enough? I would plan on nailing two staples each at both the top and bottom rails.

Thanks,
Wes Billups

Yea they are probably fine but I would use stainless steel for my staples.

Gary K.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello Wes,
Our Ohio Winter's will make short work of staples. The snow will get behind the planks and when the freeze/thaw/freeze takes place, they'll tear loose.

One good gust of (usually February here in N.E. Ohio) wind and they blow right off. 50/60 mph winds are common here in late Winter/Early pre-Spring.

Been there - done that - have the loose planks to go with it.

Ring shank nails are the way to go.

Depending on ho much fence you have to install, you might want to invest in a palm nailer (~ $50 to $80). That way you can use bulk ring shank nails, and not the more expensive ones the framing nailer uses.

It's slower than the nailer, but still faster and easier than pounding by hand.

[Jim DeLaney]

Ditto on Gary's recommendation for stainless staples. Otherwise, you'll have black streaks running down from every fastener in a few months.

Are you going to paint this fence? If so, it's a lot easier to paint the pickets before you assemble the fence. Then, after assembly, one more coat on the face of the pickets, to hide the nails/staples. Painting a picket fence after it's assembled - just like repainting it in a few years will be - is a pain.

[Jim Thiel]

Although not local, a bit further north and I concur with the ring shank an SS.

OTOH, the black vinyl chain link fence we put up last fall (that weird warm spell we had in November) has held up very well. Our two boxers (wife calls them kids) haven't put their heads through it either. The same cannot be said by our neighbors. One of their dogs, a 50lb. chow/pit mix, will knock off a picket every few weeks.

Jim

[Jim O'Dell]

Are you sure you want to use cedar around the kids? Will they be climbing on it? (Kids are kids, you know! ) The reason I bring this up is the problem with cedar splinters if you don't get all of it out. Gets infected very badly. And with the rough cut cedar used for fence pickets, I'd be leary of using it. In fact, I decided not to use cedar because of the dogs and was afraid of what would happen with a splinter since they can't tell you what happened. Jim.

[Wes Billups]

The concensus is to go with ring shanks. Where does everybody buy 21 degree full round head galvanized ring shank or stainless steel nails? I've been looking online and have found a few but would prefer to order from somewhere based on your recommendations.

I'm actually having the posts installed by someone else and I'm doing the rest as I want to stain all the pickets prior to installation as Jim DeLaney suggests.

We had a cedar fence at our last house and had no problems with the kids getting splinters. Plus the price difference ruled out the plastic fences.

Thanks again,
Wes

[Jim Becker]

Try Coastal Tool in Hartford for the nails...if they don't stock, they may be able to get them for you.

[Grady Cowardin]

Our two boxers (wife calls them kids) haven't put their heads through it either. The same cannot be said by our neighbors. One of their dogs, a 50lb. chow/pit mix, will knock off a picket every few weeks.

Jim

Broesky is currently at home mangling a metal kennel crate. We often refer to him as a mini-tank with legs. He broke two of the welds over the weekend...

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I'm getting ready to build a 42" high cedar picket fence to try to keep my kids corralled in our yard.

Such an expense~!! When my girls were little I merely drove a nail through one foot into a sheet of plywood and let 'em run around in circles.

Yah the staples should be OK and I agree with Gary that SST is the better material. Rust stains never look good.