# Makita Headless pin nailer - painters best friend



## paintninja (Jul 5, 2014)

I cant speak for the rest of you, and i would say probably the majority of painters. But myself i have had to do quite a lot of insurance repairs over the years relating to storm damage / water etc. 

Usually this involves me doing a significant amount of plastering / fixing new plasterboard, even hanging doors and some fixout work.

As im sure you all know, if you are doing any new work the first thing you have to do is putty the 10,000 nail holes the carpenter has so generously left for you in the skirting boards around the place.

I decided i didnt want to putty any more nail holes and invested in a Makita LXTP01z pin nailer which uses the 18v makita batteries that fit the rest of their range of tools.

It basically uses a 23 guage headless pin nail so when you apply the correct pressure to the gun, and use the provided rubber nib that comes with it, it nails the skirt flush and can be painted over without any puttying. The nail is about 1/8th the size of a regular brad that a carpenter would use to fix skirting. & no indent on the timber either.

Its great for softwood, pine etc. but for hardwood it does struggle and you might have the nails sticking out a few mm and find yourself having to tap them in a bit further by hand.


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## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

I don't understand. You still need to fill those holes. at least I would. 


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## paintninja (Jul 5, 2014)

Damon T said:


> I don't understand. You still need to fill those holes. at least I would.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using PaintTalk.com



I actually did that vid without the rubber nib on the end of the gun. Theres a small piece of rubber that cushions the gun when it fires. When you have that on, theres no indent.

When you use this rubber nib, it nails flush to the trim or whatever you are nailing and you cant feel it with your finger. you then just paint over it.

But yes i would have puttied those first few also. When i first got it i did the video, then later worked out what the rubber thing was for. I've now lost it somewhere so im putting holes again ! maybe i can rig up a piece of silicone to cover the end which will work the same.

If you do buy one, glue it on the end because you'll loose it !


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## ridesarize (Jun 19, 2012)

Hi guys I've been busy lately so I haven't joined you all, but good to still be here though.

So I don't like pin nails in a lot of the work I paint. I understand when they need to be used on detail trim and such. But on millwork they should be set and filled anyways, since - 1. if you leave them flush and sand primer they just become shiners and the finish paint flakes off them soon, or 2. If they are shot in a tad and not filled you can see them with a nice finish... 3. On clear coat jobs carpenter thinks he's hiding everything but they show more than if they are set and puttied wood tone. Also they may stick out a little(close to flush) but you can't sand wood evenly like that.


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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

We fill them on painted wood. On stained, I like it better. Especially on oak. It also helps with the problem of wood changing color as it ages so that the putty no longer matches down the road.


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