Manufactured for quick and easy installation, electro-galvanized plastic cap roofing nails are ideal for fastening roofing felt, house wrap, sheathing, underlayment, and more. The ringed shank and wide round head on this nail provide superior holding power for reliable installation.

What are steel cap nails used for?

Applications include attaching membrane, house wrap, insulation board, construction underlayment, Tyvek, tar paper (roofing felt) and any other underlayment material to sheathing or wood substrates. Steel Round Cap Nails are made of . 120″ (11 Gauge) RING shank.

What are roofing nails?

Roofing nails There are many different types of nails available, but nails for a roof are specifically designed for nailing shingles. Typically, roofing nails are made of stainless steel, but sometimes they are made of aluminum. They also have very large, broad heads compared to most other nails.

Are cap nails waterproof?

Because most synthetic roofing underlayment must be installed with cap nails or staples, and because these underlayments do not seal around the fasteners, they are typically considered water resistant, not truly waterproof.

What do roof nails look like?

All roofing nails have wide, flat heads and short shanks. The tips of the nails are sharp and pointed for easy insertion so you don’t break the shingles or damage the wood when driving the nails through. Different roofing materials require different types of roofing nails.

Can I use roofing nails for felt?

Installing roofing felt, or “tar paper,” is an important step when roofing a building. Some roofers prefer to attach felt underlayment with 1-inch roofing nails or special nails with plastic washers, but most codes allow staples, which are easier to drive. …

How many squares does a box of plastic cap nails cover?

2,000 nails are in a pack. The Stinger 136260 includes 10-200 count reels of 1″ plastic collated caps and 10-200 count coils of wire collated, electro-galvanized ring shank nails. Each NailPac covers approximately 25 square and meets ASTM F1667 standards. Shipping Weight: 7 lbs.

Which is better roofing nails or staples?

After all, it’s no surprise roofers loved staples for attaching shingles to roofing. Staples cost less than nails, offer exceptional holding strength, and cover a greater area of space with a more versatile and compact collation. … Breaking it down further, you’ll typically use four fasteners per 3-tab shingle.

Can you hammer cap nails?

Pre-Collated Caps and Nails – These caps and nails are long enough to hammer through and are great for installing rigid foam.

Can you use staples on house wrap?

Today, most house wrap manufacturers require their product to be installed with cap nails or cap staples. This change definitely slows down the process, but on the upside, capped fasteners hold house wrap to the wall up to 25 times better than staples.

Article first time published on

What is a cap nail?

Cap nails are used to attach roofing felt, house wrap, tar paper and insulation foam board. Unlike galvanized nails, a cap nail has a steel shank and a large polyethylene cap to prevent leaks.

What is a shank nail?

What is a Ring Shank Nail? Ring shank nails are those with ridges or spirals around the shank; those little ridges can increase the holding power of the nail by 40 percent or more. The ridges on the ring shank nails act as little barbs or wedges that lock the nails firmly into the wood once it’s driven.

Why do roofers use nails instead of screws?

Nails are often preferred for structural joining, including framing walls, because they are more flexible under pressure, whereas screws can snap. Nails are also called upon when securing plywood sheathing for exterior walls, installing hardwood floors, and attaching siding and roofing.

How long should ridge cap nails be?

Ridge cap shingles vary in size, but you must use at least 2” nails regardless of size. These shingles will have a sealant strip and often be tapered after the strip to ensure the back side of the shingle remains hidden.

Can you use screws for shingles?

You cannot use screws for roofing shingles, only roofing nails are approved fasteners. Screws leave small gaps in the material they are driven into, and this may be enough to allow for a leak.

How long should my roofing nails be?

Nails should be long enough to penetrate 3/4 of an inch into a roof deck; if a roof deck is less than 3/4 of an inch, nails should be long enough to penetrate and extend at least 1/8 of an inch through the roof deck.

Can roofing nails be too long?

Yes, they can. If they are too long, they will protrude through the sheathing at the roof overhang and be visible.

Can Tyvek be stapled?

When staples without caps are used to temporarily fasten DuPont™ Tyvek® WRBs, no more than 4 staples per square yard should be installed. All staples should be sealed with DuPont™ Tyvek® Tape when the DuPont™ Tyvek® WRB is being installed for air barrier and high performance applications.

What is a cap fastener?

Caps are 1-in-dia. or larger plastic or metal disks fastened with nails or staples. The cap increases the fastener’s surface area, meaning less chance for tearing even under windy conditions or foot traffic. … staples, which have more holding power. Pneumatic cap nailers also are available.

How many nails are needed to build a house?

When building an average size house that is 1,200 square feet, there are about: 12,000 nails that are used.

How many boxes of nails do I need for a roof?

Most shingle manufactures recommend using four nails per shingle on the main area of your roof and five nails per square in the first row of roofing. This adds up to an average of 320 nails or 100 square feet. If you have high wind areas, you will want to use five nails pers shingle, equating to about 480 per square.

How many nails do I need for my roof?

Generally, you should use four nails per shingle in the field of the roof, and 5 nails per starter shingle. For regular three-tab shingles, this would require 320 nails per square for field shingles.

Can you staple felt?

Start the roof felt at one bottom corner of the roof. … Roll out about 10 feet of felt and fasten with staples or roofing nails with plastic washer heads. Use a construction stapler or a hammer. Put fasteners at least every 8 inches; some suppliers recommend staples about every 4 inches.

How much do you overlap tar paper?

Place approximately 5 feet of tar paper at a time. Overlap each piece 2 inches over the piece before it. This ensures a secure barrier against moisture.

Can you staple tar paper?

Alternatively, you can use galvanized nails and a hammer or an electric staple gun with roofing staples. Space out the nails and staples along each edge, and scatter some along the interior of the tar paper strip. Add only enough staples to hold the paper in place to maintain its waterproof integrity.

What is a button nailer?

Can be used as a Cap Nailer and a Roofing Nailer. Saves labor and time. Shoots plastic caps and roofing coil nails from 3/4″ to 1-3/4″. This lightweight, powerful nailer features fast, easy loading in a high performance unit. …

Can you use staple on synthetic underlayment?

An installer needs to follow the directions when installing synthetic underlayment, just like any other building material. Most synthetic manufacturers require the product to be fastened with capped nails, not staples. This is especially true if the product will be left exposed for any length of time.

Why is hand nailing shingles better?

Some roofers believe hand-nailing shingles gives them more control over the process. They can use “feel” to determine if the nail is deep enough and in the right location. Since hand-nailing takes a bit more time, they have the chance to correct any mistakes on the spot. On the other hand, labor costs will be higher.

Is it better to hand nail shingles?

While air gun nailing might seem faster, a well-trained hand nailer can do it almost as fast. The key difference between the two is accuracy. Hand driving nails into shingles allows for the roofer to place the nail on the proper nail line and then drive the nail in.

Do Staples damage shingles?

Staples damage your shingles. Even the tiniest holes in your shingles are big enough for water to gradually seep in and make its way into the vulnerable parts of your roofing. … Tiny holes from repeated stapling will limit the lifespan of your roof considerably.

Do you tape the top of house wrap?

Flashing tape at the top should bridge the gaps between the window unit and the wall sheathing, for air sealing as well as water management. DO NOT tape over the bottom flange because you will block the drainage path.