Almost ruined a $1,200 crown molding job thanks to a guy on YouTube

Some random commenter said to use a 23-gauge pin nailer for everything, but those tiny pins couldn't hold the weight and the whole thing started sagging after 3 days. Has anyone else had a YouTube tip backfire like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

danielmason10d ago

23 gauge is basically just for holding trim in place while the glue dries, at least in my experience. I tried using them for some heavy crown on a job last year and had the same sagging issue after a couple days. Pin nails just don't have the holding power for anything with real weight, especially on a ceiling. Idk why that YouTuber would recommend them for a full install like that.

julia_patel10d ago

Oh man, @danielmason you are 100% right about that. I fell for it too after watching a few of those "pro tip" videos and tried 23 gauge for a full crown molding install in a client's den. Looked perfect for about a day, then I came back and found a whole corner had pulled away from the ceiling. Pin nails just don't have the bite for anything that's not basically decoration. They're great for keeping stuff in place while glue dries, like you said, but I won't trust them for the main hold ever again.