Help with light duty stapler?


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Old 02-22-18, 02:45 PM
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Help with light duty stapler?

I want to temporarily seal up the insulation batts in my crawlspace to test a hunch that mold is growing under them and releasing a musty odor. I don't want to remove the insulations yet because if my hunch is wrong, that would be a costly mistake.

What is the best type of fastener, brad nail or staple, to use to attach a plastic sheet (1mil) to studs with a 1/4 piece of cedar wood strip on top of the plastic? The setup needs to be easily removed by yanking the wood strip out. To be clear, the fastener will first encounter the 1/4 inch wood strip, then the plastic sheet, then the stud.

I can't decide whether to use brad nails or staples. The advantage of brad nails is they are small gauge and make small holes in the studs. I also have an electric brad nail gun already. The potential disadvantage is they have small heads and when I yank on the strip of wood they may go through the wood and stay in the stud. Also if the brad nail is not sunk completely into the wood (which my nailer has a tendency to do), it can snag clothing as I crawl by.

As for staples, there are more variations than I thought. Different gauges, different crown width, different shape crown. Is there one staple gun that can fire them all?

Many of the staples seem overkill, but there is this "fine wire" staple (arrow T50 1/2 inch or 9/16 inch) that seems to fit the bill. I can buy a pnematic stapler for $22 and up. I already have a compressor.

Any comments suggestions?
 
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Old 02-22-18, 02:55 PM
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You could use a brad nailer but you will want to use 5/8" nails. And yes, some may stay in the stud... but they should easily pull out. Set your regulator on your compressor to about 60-65 lbs so that you don't drive the nails into your 1/4" strip too deep and that will help them not pull through as much when you go to remove.
 
 

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