Siding Nailer vs Roofing Nailer: Key Differences Explained

By John Patterson

Last Updated on April 16, 2024 by John Patterson

All the nail guns look pretty similar to the naked eye.

Nonetheless, the application is not the same for each of the nailers.

It’s been rightly said that ‘necessity is the mother of invention.’

When dealing with siding jobs, you don’t need rough nail guns like framing nailers. It would be best if you had nail guns that can deliver the proper force to handle wood and vinyl for siding tasks.

Similarly, when it’s about roofing tasks and dealing with asphalt shingles and fiberglass, you require a dedicated nail gun to get the job done smoothly.

To achieve the best result by eliminating all those troubles someone faces for a specific job, manufacturers are producing separate nail guns particular to that task.

In this article, I’m going to discuss siding nailer vs roofing nailer, including the benefits and drawbacks of each of these types of guns.

Without any further delay, let’s dive in.

What is a Siding Nailer?

If you don’t want a complicated answer to this question, it’s merely a nailer that is a perfect match for siding tasks.

However, the siding nailer deserves a bit more explanation than that.

A siding nailer is designed to work efficiently with wood or vinyl siding.

When you deal with that task, you need a nailer that doesn’t shoot the nails too hard. On top of that, the nails for siding tasks are slightly different than others. Siding guns are made to get all these jobs done.

A siding nail gun solves all those issues that someone faces using a rough nail gun like a framing nailer.

It eliminates the need to use rubber domes as all these siding guns are protected in the front with rubber.

As a result, it doesn’t hurt the softwood for continuous nailing, and it’s equally suitable for hardwood.

A siding nailer is lightweight, features a depth adjustment system, and provides the exact amount of power in shooting nails for siding.

Siding Nailer Special Features and Benefits

Siding nailers are lighter in weight than rugged guns like framing nailers. You can quickly go upright to get the job done correctly.
It offers a depth adjustment feature. This lets you adjust the depth based on the need. As a result, you will be able to repeatedly have a uniform shot in the siding.
It’s protected in the bottom with rubber to deal with softwood and hardwood.
A siding nailer gun delivers the required amount of power for shooting nails for siding, unlike the framing nailer, which shoots nails with a lot of energy.
Most high-quality siding guns feature a trigger lock system to prevent the accidental shooting.
Depending on your requirement and comfort, you can choose different siding nail gun weights (heavy, medium, light).
Using a siding nail gun is a hassle-free process, as most feature air filters. It minimizes the chance of entering dust into the tool.
Pneumatic siding nailers don’t require high-pressure air compressors to run smoothly.

Siding Nailers Drawbacks

It’s not able to penetrate the surface with high impact. That’s why it is unsuitable for jobs requiring rough power tools like framing nailers.
A siding nailer doesn’t have a wide nail tip.
It can’t drive coil nails. That’s why you must refill the magazine several times for long-duration jobs.

What is Roofing Nailer?

As the name suggests, a roofing nailer is specially made to serve all those roofing-related tasks.

For the most part, when you want to attach fiberglass or asphalt shingles on the rooftop, a roofing nailer will come in handy as a pocket on a shirt.

These nailers accept different types of nails. For roofing, you must use a nail that can be removed easily. It also needs to hold the shingles firmly.

Typically, roofing nailers shoot coil nails, and you don’t have to refill the magazine too often. It’s because refilling the magazine too often while working on a rooftop is undoubtedly a hectic job.

Remember, roofing guns do not apply to nailing tasks other than roofing.

Roofing Nailer Special Features and Benefits

No other nail guns or staplers work like a roofing nailer for roofing-related tasks.
A roofing nailer can drive coil nails. Consequently, you don’t have to refill the magazine for an extended period.
Whether doing it new or redoing your roof, a roofing nailer works efficiently in both cases.
Most roofing guns are lightweight and quiet in operation.
It loads fast.
Roofing guns also offer a trigger lock system to prevent accidental shooting.
All the high-quality roofing guns feature ergonomic handles with a comfortable rubber grip.
The majority of the top-notch units feature adjustable shingle guide designs to make your life easy in dealing with a lot of shingles.
Pneumatic roofing guns don’t require a high-pressure air compressor to run them.

Roofing Nailer Drawbacks

A roofing nail gun is not versatile; it’s only suitable for roofing tasks.
It’s relatively heavy.
Some roofing guns don’t feature a depth-adjustment mechanism.
Roofing nailers tend to get jammed frequently.

Roofing Nailer vs. Siding Nailer: Which One is Better for your projects?

Both tools (roofing and siding) are made to get different jobs done. If you’ve gone through my article, you know which works best for what type of task.

With that said, let me make a side-by-side comparison against some crucial factors.

Regarding weight – Siding nailers vary in weight. However, they are relatively lighter than other nail guns. On the other hand, roofing nailers are usually heavier than siding guns.
Siding guns are appropriate for siding tasks, and roofing nailers are suitable for roofing tasks. You won’t get any benefit from using them interchangeably.
Roofing nailers are perfect for dealing with asphalt shingles, fiberglass, insulation board, waterproof tar paper, etc. However, siding guns are ideal for dealing with wood and vinyl.
Siding guns can’t drive coil nails. Conversely, roofing nailers drive coil nails.
Siding guns always feature a depth-adjustment mechanism. On the other hand, some roofing nailers miss this feature.
Roofing guns can drive coil nails and don’t require frequent refilling. However, siding guns can’t drive coil nails and need several refills for long-duration jobs.
Both (siding and roofing) these two types of tools (pneumatic ones) are run by low-pressure air compressors.
Most of the quality units feature trigger lock mechanisms in both cases.

Final Words

I believe siding nailer vs. roofing nailer is no more a moot point for you at this stage.

It’s quite clear that these two guns are intended to serve two different types of tasks.

No matter what, to get the best results, you must choose a high-quality siding nailer or a top-quality roofing nailer based on the application.