
Nails are often coated with vinyl to make them easier to drive into wood. The friction created when a nail is driven into wood increases the surface temperature of the nail, melting the coating and lubricating the nail. When the nail stops moving, the vinyl cools and improves the withdrawal resistance. Nails are also commonly coated with phosphate to increase their holding power and provide some resistance to corrosion. 'Cement-coated' nails are designed to be resistant to weather and water, and are used for exterior applications.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Coating type | Vinyl, phosphate, cement, lacquer, varnish |
| Purpose | To make nails easier to drive, increase holding power, improve withdrawal resistance, provide resistance to corrosion, weather and water |
| Application | Nails are cleaned, then coated |
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What You'll Learn
- Vinyl coating: makes nails easier to drive into wood
- Phosphate coating: increases holding power and provides resistance to corrosion
- Cement coating: used on nails designed to be resistant to weather/water
- Lacquer/varnish coating: makes nails more difficult to pull out
- Coating on galvanised nails: no information on its function

Vinyl coating: makes nails easier to drive into wood
Nails are commonly coated with vinyl to make them easier to drive into wood. When a nail is driven into wood, the surface temperature of the nail is increased by friction. This friction is enough to melt the coating and lubricate the nail. When the nail stops moving, the vinyl cools and improves the withdrawal resistance. To work correctly, the nail must be thoroughly cleaned before the vinyl is applied.
Many import nails are coated with what looks like vinyl, but the coating is not a true vinyl and does not function as one. It is simply a decorative coating to conceal the corrosion on the nail when shipping to the US.
Nails are also commonly coated with phosphate to increase their holding power and provide some resistance to corrosion.
Some nails are also cement-coated, which is designed to be resistant to weather and water and is used for exterior applications.
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Phosphate coating: increases holding power and provides resistance to corrosion
Nails are commonly coated with vinyl to make them easier to drive into wood. The friction caused by driving a nail into wood increases the surface temperature of the nail, melting the coating and lubricating the nail. When the nail stops moving, the vinyl cools and improves the withdrawal resistance. Nails are also commonly coated with phosphate to increase their holding power and provide some resistance to corrosion. This coating is often used to conceal corrosion on nails when they are being shipped to the US.
Some nails are coated with a thin layer of lacquer or varnish, which is more difficult to pull out. 'Cement-coated' nails are designed to be resistant to weather and water and are used for exterior applications.
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Cement coating: used on nails designed to be resistant to weather/water
Nails are often coated with vinyl to make them easier to drive into wood. The friction caused by driving a nail into wood increases the surface temperature of the nail, melting the coating and lubricating the nail. When the nail stops moving, the vinyl cools and improves withdrawal resistance. Nails are also commonly coated with phosphate to increase their holding power and provide some resistance to corrosion.
Cement-coated nails are designed to be resistant to weather and water. They are used for exterior applications. The friction caused by driving the nail into wood melts the coating, making the nail more difficult to pull out. The coating is not always obvious, but it can be revealed by scraping the nail with a sharp razor. The coating may look like a thin layer of lacquer or varnish.
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Lacquer/varnish coating: makes nails more difficult to pull out
Nails are often coated with vinyl to make them easier to drive into wood. The friction caused by driving a nail into wood increases the surface temperature of the nail, melting the coating and lubricating the nail. When the nail stops moving, the vinyl cools and improves the withdrawal resistance.
Nails are also commonly coated with phosphate to increase their holding power and provide some resistance to corrosion. Some nails are coated with a thin layer of lacquer or varnish, which makes them more difficult to pull out. This coating is not always visible, but it can be revealed by scraping the nail with a sharp razor. These coatings are activated by friction, which melts the coating and glues the nail to the wood.
Some nails are also cement-coated, which is designed to make them resistant to weather and water. These nails are typically used for exterior applications.
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Coating on galvanised nails: no information on its function
Nails are commonly coated with vinyl to make them easier to drive into wood. The friction caused by driving a nail into wood increases the surface temperature of the nail, melting the coating and lubricating the nail. When the nail stops moving, the vinyl cools and improves the withdrawal resistance.
Nails are also commonly coated with phosphate to increase their holding power and provide some resistance to corrosion.
Some nails are coated with a thin layer of lacquer or varnish. This coating is designed to melt when the nail is driven into wood, making it more difficult to pull out.
Some nails are also cement-coated, which is designed to be resistant to weather and water.
However, it is unclear what the function of the coating on galvanised nails is. While galvanised nails do have a coating, it does not appear to serve the same purpose as the coatings on other types of nails.
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Frequently asked questions
Nails are coated with vinyl to make them easier to drive. The friction created when a nail is driven into wood increases the surface temperature of the nail, melting the coating and lubricating the nail. When the nail stops moving, the vinyl cools and improves the withdrawal resistance.
Coated nails are more resistant to loosening and are more difficult to pull out. They also have improved holding power and provide some resistance to corrosion.
Cement-coated nails are designed to be resistant to weather and water, and are used for exterior applications.











































