# What type of nails/screws should be used with furring strips?



## firsttimeremode (Jul 19, 2012)

What type of nails/screws should be used with furring strips? 

Not being used inside a wall, just being used to correct a minor support issue inside a kitchen cabinet, and i dont want them to split.


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## sublime2 (Mar 21, 2012)

1 5/8" sheetrock screws.screw them in slow.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I kept an old table candle, in a baggy, in my tool box, handy for such things. Roll the screw threads in the wax and the friction and tension going in will be greatly reduced. Do go slow. When in doubt. Pre-drill if you must.


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## notmrjohn (Aug 20, 2012)

As far as type of screw and splitting the strip, a pan head is better than a flat head or counter sunk type like a drywall screw which will try to wedge wood apart as it sets, especially near ends. That can happen even if you drill pilot holes. And you should drill pilot holes thru furring, as close to outside diameter of threads as you can. Pilot hole for nails, at least at ends is good idea too. 

The length of screw depends on what you mean by "minor support" supporting a shelf or supporting a cabinet that is just barely sagging. Longer screw will be needed to support cabinet. 3" pan head screws into studs if supporting cabinet. Pilot holes in stud diameter of screw shank will help a lot with long screw. There are specific cabinet screws with extra wide heads and self cutting threads but any pan head screw would work. I would not use nails to support cabinet.

For shelf support, 3/4" + thickness of cabinet back and wall covering + at lest 3/4" into stud. nails should be same length or longer, ring shank box nails ( smaller iameter than common) would be my choice. Start nails in furring outside of cabinet, easier than trying to hold it all together inside. Pilot hole close to but bit smaller nail diameter, two end holes can be larger. 

If you are supporting end of shelf with thick sided cabinet, thickness of furring strip+ less than thickness of side. If thin sided cabinet and there is adjacent cabinet, screw from cabinet side into strip, screw length sams as furring thickness. If both cabinets have sides there will be gap between them, drill hole large enuff for screw head thru side of other cabinet to get to side of cabinet that needs support.

Parrafin bar or sd's candle or bar of soap is good idea, just drag screw across. Wax on nails help too. My Dad used to run screw thru his hair, but that was in days of Brylcream, "A little dab'll do ya." Us young guys didn't put oil in our hair, but always seemed to find some along side our nose.

Instead of driving screw slowly, if there is piloy hole or I am thru strip, i give screw a quick burst while really leaning into it, then go slower. If going gets tuff or driver trys to strip head or cam out, I back it out a bit, give another quick burst and repeat untill screw is seated. Be careful doing that or you will strip out head of screw and wind up with one part way in that you can't drive in or screw out.Sometimes I've used one screw to more less drill pilot hole then replace with new screw part way thru job. Square drive or combo square-Phillips head less likely to strip out. Philips was actually developed to cam out, back in days of early power drivers.

Not much room to use your door knob removal tool to remove half way in stripped screw inside cabinet. Add pair of vice grips to your tool box if you haven't already done so.


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## firsttimeremode (Jul 19, 2012)

thanks. it is being used to support the very bottom of the cabinet. water has soaked into the wood on the bottom and while the floor underneath and the main cabinet are fine, the support for the cabinet floor needs replaced, and furring strips work perfectly. And theyre base cabinets, so its not like if the strips fail anything will go very far. thanks for all of the answers.


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## tony.g (Apr 15, 2012)

Try these (but drill pilot holes first!)


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## notmrjohn (Aug 20, 2012)

tony, I said *ring shank*. 
I use ones like yours for hanging pictures, one nail holds pictures in two different rooms.


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## sublime2 (Mar 21, 2012)

notmrjohn said:


> tony, I said ring shank.
> I use ones like yours for hanging pictures, one nail holds pictures in two different rooms.


Lmao!


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## tony.g (Apr 15, 2012)

notmrjohn said:


> I said *ring shank*.
> .


Well, it's got a few grooves near the head if that's any help.


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## Rewound98 (Nov 16, 2011)

I'd use staples.


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## notmrjohn (Aug 20, 2012)

"I'd use staples." From outside thru thin cab side maybe. Other wise you'd need a 1 1/2 " staple, most folks don't have gun that will drive that. But nail gun, small gauge nail, does have less tendency to split. 

Did any one mention that a bit of glue would have been nice? Too late now. And for bottom shelf support one or two 1x's under neath. If we'd only known. I make all my toe kicks 3 1/2" to bottom of bottom, just so I can put in easy support.

tony, sure grooves are nice, keep picture from sliding off, but there is head on that end. What keeps pic on other side from sliding off. " Oh man. Picasso's on the floor again. And look, the picture of mable and the kids fell off the wall. I bet that drunken fool, Pablo, knocked it off when he passed out."


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## firsttimeremode (Jul 19, 2012)

no its not too late, i had intended to do that this weekend before the hellacious rain storms came and poured down rain all weekend long. So maybe tonight, i dont know. I still need to go get whatever i need to attach the furring strips. By glue, do you mean construction adhesive?


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## notmrjohn (Aug 20, 2012)

" construction adhesive?" that would work, but wood workers glue would be better. In this situation even Elmer's white glue, but it si not water resistant. But TiteBond II will probably come in handier in long run as you work on trailer. Elmer's also was a wood workers glue. They are yellow not white. Just run a line along back of furring strip then a few nails/screws to hold it in place till glue drys. If the bottom of that shelf is 1 1/2, 2 1/2, 3 1/2" from floor you can put a support under it in middle without having to rip something down. Or a piece of 1/2 ply with 1X2 on it makes 3" If you need to add 1/8" maybe you have something like a piece of ...oh...say, shelf liner laying around. 

I don't fasten bottoms into cabinets I build for my home, or clients who agree with me. You can lift bottom out and sprinkel lots of boric acid and/or diatamaceos earth under there to combat ants and roaches. I also but false bottoms in my drawers. ..... I don't wanta have ants in my pants.

How'd you like that rain? Did the shelves leak?


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## firsttimeremode (Jul 19, 2012)

no leaks at all except where the roof still hasnt been fixed. The only person who is willing to do that job is my dad, and he is out of town until next week, so for now im just glad the leaking water is landing in the sink.


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## firsttimeremode (Jul 19, 2012)

the cabinet is a 62" sink base and a 30" two-door base, and oddly enough both cabinets need extra support. I plan to pull out the previous "floor" and insert the furring strips, then putting new wood on top with some water seal and contact paper. We live in the country, but somehow we have never had problems with ants, mice, or roaches. The mice i understand because we have about a dozen cats that sleep on our porch, but the ants and roaches dont seem to want to stay at our houses.Even trailer houses dont get roaches.


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## notmrjohn (Aug 20, 2012)

" leaking water is landing in the sink." not the one with the crack! no wonder bottom fell apart :wink:

Just had a thot, many cabs have a 3" toe kick. If you are using 1 1/2 furring strips, stack two edge wise around perimeter of cabinet. Only screws you nedd are enough to hold in place till glue sets. If there are cabinets on each side you don't even have to worry about screws being too long. Couple of supports front to back out in middle bit harder but you could stack and use piece of ply screwed or nailed to sides to hold together, then shoot couple of screw thru new floor into top of furring.Might wanta screw furring to floor B4 putting it in, supports don't have to be full width. You're probably gonna have to use 2 or 3 piece floor to get it in past center style any way so put furring at non cabinet side ends. 

Them wild country roaches and ants like to roam free, don't like bein cooped up. Country uncles will come right in, lounge in your favorite chair, smoking big vile cigars and sayin', "Pull my finger."


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## firsttimeremode (Jul 19, 2012)

the cracked sink is in the master bath. the leak is in the second bath. the bad cabinet bottoms are in the kitchen. this house is so frikken screwed up, but hey, at least it doesnt require a total overhaul, just a few things in every room.


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## notmrjohn (Aug 20, 2012)

the cracked sink is in the master bath. the leak is in the second bath. the bad cabinet bottoms are in the kitchen
The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!

You should check the thread started by, helloitsme21 she too is dealing with a screwed up "mature" trailer, hers has a major structural problem that can't be fixed with shelf liners. Maybe the two of you could form a mutual support society.


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## firsttimeremode (Jul 19, 2012)

yeah ive read her threads before. seeing that kind of problem on a trailer i was considering to buy would have had me running the opposite direction, thats just too much work when there are trailers for sale that dont need a whole lot of work. That is the whole reason i have this one, i bought one before that was small and really nicely laid out and i thought that the only thing we would have to do was replace the sheetrock and lay new flooring, but once we opened the walls up, the to do list spiraled out of control and i just said "f it" and traded it off.


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