Coil Nail Guns
Roofing nail guns fire collated coil nails fast for felt, shingles, battens and cladding, saving time on repetitive fixing work up top.
If you're fixing out roofs all day, hand nailing soon does your wrist in and slows the job right down. A proper roofing nail gun or coil gun keeps the fixing pace steady, especially on felt, shingles and lighter cladding runs. Most roofers reach for coil nailers because the magazine carries plenty of nails, feeds reliably, and doesn't leave you constantly climbing down to reload. Check nail size, nail type and whether you want pneumatic drive or cordless convenience, then pick the roofing nailer that suits the way you work.
What Are Roofing Nail Guns Used For?
- Fixing roofing felt and membrane goes much quicker with a roofing nail gun, especially on wide roof areas where stopping to hand drive every clout nail just wastes time and breaks your rhythm.
- Installing cedar shingles, asphalt shingles and similar lighter roof coverings is where a coil nailer earns its keep, giving consistent drive depth without splitting the material when set up properly.
- Securing cladding and external boarding is a common job for a cladding nail gun or coil gun, particularly when you need fast repetitive fixing across large elevations.
- Working on sheds, outbuildings and garden rooms is easier with a felt nail gun because you can move quickly across battens, sheets and coverings without constantly reaching for a hammer.
- Handling repair work on site is simpler with roofing nailers when you're replacing damaged sections and need clean, repeatable fixing in awkward positions up a ladder or across staging.
Choosing the Right Roofing Nail Gun
Match the gun to the fixing, not just the label. Roofing work, felt work and cladding all want slightly different nail sizes and handling.
1. Roofing and Felt First
If you're mainly fixing felt, membrane or shingles, buy a proper roofing nail gun built around shorter coil nails with broad heads. Do not assume a bigger first fix nailer will do the same job neatly, because it usually will not.
2. Pneumatic or Cordless
If you're on open roofs all week with plenty of repetitive fixing, pneumatic coil nailers still make a lot of sense for weight, speed and lower running cost. If you're doing smaller jobs, repairs or scattered snagging, cordless saves dragging hose and compressor about.
3. Nail Capacity and Reloads
If you're covering big areas, go for a coil gun with a decent magazine capacity so you're not stopping every few minutes. Up on a roof, fewer reloads means less wasted movement and a steadier workflow.
4. Depth Adjustment Matters
If you're switching between softer coverings and denser boards, make sure the nailer gives you clear depth adjustment. Overdriving tears felt and marks shingles, while underdriving leaves proud heads that need sorting by hand.
Who Uses These on Site?
- Roofers use roofing nail guns day in, day out for felt, shingles and repetitive fixing work where hand nailing all day would just slow the whole gang down.
- Cladding teams reach for a coil nailer when fixing long runs of external boarding because it keeps nail supply high and cuts down reloads on access gear.
- Timber frame crews and chippies use a roof nail gun on sheds, kiosks and outbuildings where lighter collated nails make more sense than a bigger framing setup.
- Landscapers and garden room installers keep a clout nail gun handy for roofing on outdoor structures, especially when they are moving between sheet material, membrane and trim details.
- Maintenance teams use them for patch repairs and small refurb jobs because they are quicker to carry and set up than dragging larger first fix kit around site.
The Basics: Understanding Roofing Nail Guns
These tools are built for fast, repeat fixing with collated nails wound in a coil. The main thing is matching the nail format and drive type to the roof covering and pace of work.
1. Coil Feed System
A coil nailer feeds nails from a round magazine instead of a straight strip. That gives you a higher nail count in the gun, which is exactly what you want when fixing felt, shingles or cladding over a large area.
2. Roofing Nails vs Framing Nails
Roofing nail guns are set up for shorter nails with wider heads that hold sheet and covering materials down properly. They are not the same thing as first fix framing nailers, which are built for heavier timber connections.
3. Pneumatic Drive
Most roofing nailers use compressed air to drive each nail. On site that means quick firing, consistent drive depth and less waiting between shots, but only if your hose, fittings and air supply are up to the job.
Roofing Nailer Accessories to Keep You Moving
The right extras save downtime, misfires and those annoying walks back to the van halfway through a roof.
1. Specialist Collated Nails
Get the right Specialist Collated Nails for your gun and covering. Wrong shank, wrong length or the wrong collation angle is the quickest way to jam the nailer or end up with fixings that do not hold properly.
2. Compressors
A roofing nailer is only as reliable as its air supply, so size your Compressors properly. An underpowered unit keeps cutting in, drops pressure under load and leaves nails sitting proud when you can least be bothered to fix them.
3. Nail Gun Accessories
Keep spare no-mar tips, oil, fittings and maintenance bits from the Nail Gun Accessories range close by. They are the small parts that stop a good gun becoming dead weight over one blocked nose or tired fitting.
Choose the Right Roofing Nail Gun for the Job
Use this quick guide to sort the right nailer for the fixing work in front of you.
| Your Job | Category or Type | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Fixing roofing felt and membrane on sheds or flat roof sections | Pneumatic roofing nail gun | Short coil nail compatibility, fast repeat firing, easy depth setting and light weight for overhead work |
| Installing shingles across larger roof areas | Coil nailer | High magazine capacity, consistent drive depth and reliable feed to cut reloads on repetitive work |
| External boarding and lighter cladding jobs | Cladding nail gun | Suitable nail length range, good balance and controlled firing to avoid overdriving thinner materials |
| Small repair jobs and snagging across different sites | Compact roofing nailer | Easy handling, quick setup and enough capacity for patch work without dragging heavy kit about |
| Heavier timber first fix rather than roofing | Framing Nails setup | Longer nails and stronger structural fixing for timber joints, not broad head roofing applications |
Common Buying and Usage Mistakes
- Buying a first fix nailer instead of a roofing nail gun is a common mistake. The wrong nail type and drive setup can tear coverings, leave poor holding power and make a simple roofing job harder than it needs to be.
- Ignoring nail compatibility catches plenty of people out. Always match the gun to the right coil diameter, nail length and head style or you will end up with feed issues, jams and wasted fixings.
- Running a pneumatic coil gun off an underpowered compressor causes inconsistent firing and proud nails. Check air pressure and airflow properly before blaming the tool.
- Setting the depth too aggressively ruins felt and marks softer coverings. Back it off, test on scrap and only drive as deep as the material actually needs.
- Using roofing nailers for jobs outside their lane leads to poor results. If the work is structural timber first fix, look at proper Nail Guns for that application instead of forcing a roofing gun to do everything.
Roofing Coil Nailer vs Stick Nailer vs Framing Nailer
Roofing Coil Nailer
Best for felt, shingles and other covering materials that need broad head coil nails and quick repeat firing. It carries more nails than a stick setup, which matters when you're working across a roof and do not want constant reloads.
Stick Nailer
Better where nails are supplied in straight strips and space is tighter, but it is not the usual pick for roofing coverage work. Lower capacity means more stops, which gets old fast on repetitive external fixing.
Framing Nailer
Built for structural timber joints, studwork and heavier first fix. It is the right tool for bigger timber sections, but too much gun and the wrong nail style for most felt and shingle work.
Pneumatic vs Cordless Roofing Setup
Pneumatic still wins on long repetitive runs for weight and firing pace, while cordless suits smaller repair jobs and sites where hose management is more hassle than help. Choose based on how often you are fixing large roof areas in one hit.
Maintenance and Care
Keep the Magazine Clean
Dust, grit and broken collation bits build up fast in a coil nailer magazine. Brush it out regularly so the coil feeds properly and does not start jamming halfway through a run.
Check Air Fittings and Hoses
If the gun is losing power or sounding rough, inspect the hose and fittings before anything else. Small leaks rob pressure and usually show up as proud nails and inconsistent firing.
Oil It If the Tool Requires It
Many pneumatic roofing nailers need regular air tool oil to keep internal seals and moving parts healthy. Skip that and the gun starts wearing itself out long before it should.
Store Nails Dry
Damp coils rust, swell and feed badly. Keep your collated nails dry in the van or workshop so they load cleanly and do not chew up the tool.
Replace Worn Driver Parts Early
If the gun starts misfiring, double feeding or damaging nail heads, do not just carry on. Worn driver blades and nose parts only get worse and usually cost less to sort early than after a full failure.
Why Shop for Roofing Nail Guns at ITS?
Whether you need a roofing nail gun for felt work, a coil gun for cladding or a replacement coil nailer for day to day site use, we stock the range properly. You'll find the key types, nail sizes and site-ready options all in our own warehouse, in stock and ready for next day delivery.
Roofing Nail Gun FAQs
Why don't roofers use nail guns?
Plenty do. The real answer is they do not use the wrong nail gun. A proper roofing nail gun is built for felt, shingles and similar fixing work, but some roofers still hand nail for small patch jobs, delicate repair work or where access is awkward and dragging air gear up is more bother than it is worth.
What are coil nailers used for?
Coil nailers are used for fast repetitive fixing where you want more nails in the gun and fewer reloads. On roofing jobs that means felt, shingles and lighter cladding work, but coil formats are also used on some fencing, boarding and external timber jobs depending on the nail type.
What size coil nails do I need for roofing?
It depends on the covering and the nailer. Roofing nail guns usually take shorter broad head nails rather than long framing nails, and the exact length needs to suit the material thickness and what you're fixing into. Check the gun spec first, then match the nail to the roof system instead of guessing.
Does a coil nailer need a compressor?
Most roofing and coil nailers do, yes. Pneumatic models need an air supply to fire properly, so you will need a suitable compressor, hose and fittings. Some cordless nailers exist in wider nail gun ranges, but most dedicated roofing nailers on site are still air powered.
What's the difference between a coil and a stick nailer?
A coil nailer loads nails in a round coil, so it carries more at once and suits repetitive work like roofing and cladding. A stick nailer uses straight strips, which can be fine for first fix and tighter access, but you will reload more often on broad coverage jobs.
Will a roofing nail gun handle cladding as well?
Some will, provided the nail range and depth control suit the cladding material. For lighter external boarding and similar work, a coil gun can be a good fit. Just do not assume every roofing nailer suits every cladding board, because nail head style and drive depth matter.
Is the dcn692n dewalt a roofing nailer?
No, the dcn692n dewalt is a framing nailer, not a roofing nail gun. It is built for first fix timber work and takes different nails for a different job. If you are fixing felt or shingles, you want a proper roofing nailer or coil nailer instead.
