0.22 Cal Drive Pin vs. TapCon

[JFoy]

Erecting stud walls inside metal building on concrete slab. Putting down Pressure Treated wood for bottom sill / plate. Not sure if I should go with 0.22 cal Drive Pins (nails) or TapCons. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
JFoy

 

[Budweiser John]

Drive pins (Ramsets) were always my mode of choice. Never had predictable luck with Tapcons especially in old fully cured flat work.
Your experience may vary.

B. John

P S, be sure your fasteners or pins are ACQ listed for treated wood

 

[4570Man]

Tap cons leave a lot less mess if removed. They hold better but in your application it doesn’t really matter.

 

[Tomtint]

I always used .22,... Until I just did the lower level of my house last year. We used TapCons down there and they worked great. Concrete was about 7 years old and 5500psi

 

[Redlands Okie]

Tap cons do not spall or flake up the concrete. So they work great if you doing something near the edge of a concrete slab. Same if the concrete has not had time to cure. They also hold very well. Easy to remove in case something needs adjusted. They do take more time and tools to install.

.22 pins are fast and easy and the tools to install them are cheap.

So the answer to your question just depends on the job requirements.

 

[RNeumann]

Pins over Tapcon. GRK is a much better choice for a screw type fastener in concrete.....if it’s GRK vs Pin I’d say 50/50. Depends on your tools

 

[Paddy]

An old timer taught me this trick while we were building our concrete house;
Use concrete nails. Use the same masonry drill bit used with tapcon screws. Drill though plate and concrete, insert a 4 in pc of rebar tie wire through the holes, wood and concrete. Pound in 3 inch concrete nail. You can pull them out with a real beefy "cats paw" and crow bar, but how often are you moving walls?

TapCons have a high fail rate, either snap off or don't bite and they are expensive.

 

[kcflhrc]

I vote for the 22 cal nail gun. Very efficient and a whole lot of fun. Do you put that foam sill seal under the sill plate on concrete? Seems like a good idea. Real thin foam stuff.

 

[EddieWalker]

I used to use the 22 cal nail gun, but since SDS and SDS Max drills for concrete have come out, I prefer to drill and set anchor bolts. I've stripped out too many Tapcons to like them. With an anchor bolt, I'm rock solid, and I'll pass code just about anywhere. Did something change that allows Tapcons for Code?

 

[/pine]

For interior partitions with no lift...fluted concrete nails driven with a 2# hammer is quick and easy...

The most common failures of Tapcons is due to either reamed out holes or holes not drilled deep enough...