dylan_brown30•1mo agoMost Upvoted

Can we talk about people using brad nails to hang cabinet doors?

I was at a job site last week in Charlotte and saw a guy tacking up a full set of shaker doors with just 18-gauge brads and no glue. Those nails will work loose in a year with all the opening and closing, right? Has anyone else run into this and had to go back to fix it?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_grant341mo ago

Consider checking the humidity inside versus outside those cabinet doors first.

charles6401mo ago

I did a full kitchen in Raleigh three years ago with only 18-gauge brads and no glue, and not a single door has come loose yet. If you're using decent nails and hitting the frame right, the holding power is plenty for cabinet doors. What kind of glue were you thinking would make a difference?

rowanhernandez1mo ago

Bet on it sticking tight for three years in dry Raleigh air, but come back to me after a humid summer in the southeast where your wood's gonna swell and shrink like crazy. Ngl @charles640, those brads might hold now, but without any glue, you're trusting the wood's natural movement not to wiggle them loose over time. Tbh wood expands and contracts way more than people think, and a little polyurethane glue in the joints fills the gaps and locks everything together. Honestly, if you're in a place with real seasons, those same 18-gauge nails might start popping or the panel joints might open up in a few more years. Not saying your kitchen's gonna fall apart tomorrow, but glue is cheap insurance against the wood deciding to do what wood does.