Essential tools for carpentry, metal work, and many more applications, nail and staple guns help to secure fittings in a variety of materials with accuracy and efficiency. They come in handy for professionals and hobbyists alike.

As an established supplier of tools and hardware across North America, we can help you find the right equipment for the job from trusted manufacturers, such as RS PRO. Our products include hand-powered and cordless electric staple and nail guns that are suitable for a range of staple lengths.

So whether you're looking for a simple staple gun tacker or something more heavy duty, browse our products online today. You can read more about their function and the different types available below.

What are nail and staple guns?

Nail and staple guns drive metal staples into materials such as wood, metal, plastic, plaster, cable, and more. They come in a range of shapes and sizes and can be used with different staples to suit various professional and personal tasks.

What are the benefits of nail and staple guns?

There are key advantages to using a staple gun over other tools, such as hammers: precision, efficiency, and convenience. Electric nail guns are especially helpful for large-scale projects with high numbers of fittings and tough materials.

A manual hammer-and-nail approach can quickly become tiresome and time-consuming, and the margin for human error is considerable. But with the right staple gun for the job, you can save serious time and physical effort while reducing the risk of damaging valuable materials or suffering an injury.

How do nail and staple guns work?

Nail and staple guns work slightly differently depending on how they're powered i.e., manual or electric. But all nail and staple guns perform two key functions: firing a nail and loading the next one.

Batches of nails are typically loaded into these guns in the form of coils or strips. You fire single nails by pressing a trigger that activates an internal mechanism and delivers the nail into your chosen material with suitable force. As each nail is fired, a new nail is loaded from the strip, and the strip is moved upwards.

What types of nail and staple guns are there?

Key staple gun types include:

Electric staple guns come in corded mains-powered and cordless battery-powered varieties. The best cordless nail guns afford greater convenience and mobility, while corded versions can be more powerful and cost-effective.
Manual staple guns come in a range of materials like plastic, aluminium, and steel, and the choice of tool material affects weight and durability. These guns are easy to carry around but also demand more physical effort on large projects.
Pneumatic staple guns are extremely powerful and are typically used by building professionals when paneling or laying floors. They need to be connected to a compressor, so mobility is limited.

As well as their power sources, there are a few types of staple gun to drive different sizes of nail. These include:

Framing nailers drive nails up to 3.5 inches long and are ideal for heavy-duty applications, such as fencing, decking, and roofing.
Finishing guns are designed for more precise work, such as installing trim and building furniture, and drive nails up to 2.5 inches long.
Brad guns drive brads, which are ultra-thin nails that are useful for decorative work, such as skirting.

What are common applications of nail and staple guns?

As detailed above, nail and staple guns have a broad range of applications, depending on their type and the size of nail used. These include:

Industrial manufacturing
Engineering
Automotive and bodywork repair
Construction
Carpentry
Fabric
Home improvement

How to choose a staple gun

The right staple gun for you will depend on the tasks you're carrying out, and many professionals and experienced home improvers make sure they have multiple options available. Two key points to consider when assessing your options include:

Nail gauge (thickness): Different size staple guns fire different size nails. Small and thin nails are suitable for decorative applications with softer materials, while large and thick nails should be used for more heavy-duty purposes.
Power source: Electric staple guns are reliable and convenient for large-scale jobs, manual guns are lightweight and inexpensive, and pneumatic guns are extra powerful. What are your priorities?

Order quality staple guns online through RS

Be it a staple gun tacker for wiring installation or a heavy-duty electric nail gun for property construction, these handy tools make light work of many fiddly and tiring tasks. And with our speedy shipping capabilities and wide coverage, we can deliver the tools you need in no time.

Browse our products online and contact our team if you have any questions. You can read further product and project advice on our expert hub.