DIY 101 - Staple Guns

When undertaking any type of upholstery project you will want to equip yourself with a staple gun. Nowadays there are various types of staple guns on the market, ranging from the heavy-duty manual staple gun, to a pneumatic or air staple gun.

 

While the type of staple gun you buy will mostly be determined by how much you have to spend, there are advantages to spending a little more to make your upholstery projects easier.

MANUAL STAPLE GUN

This type of staple gun costs around R500 for a heavy-duty model and is the most affordable option. The only downside to this type of staple gun is that they can be difficult to use, and a manual staple gun is not recommended for anyone who suffers from arthritis or who plans to do large upholstery projects. The advantage of these models is that you can buy staples for the unit at those hardware stores that stock the staple guns.

CORDLESS STAPLE GUN

A battery-operated staple gun, especially one that uses Lithium Ion battery technology such as the Bosch Tacker, offers ease of use for small, repeated upholstery projects. These models require minimal pressure to operate and are used with branded staples that come with the unit when you buy it, or bought separately. At this stage these units only accept 8 or 10mm staples and this is only sufficient for smaller upholstery projects.

AIR OR PNEUMATIC STAPLE GUN

Recommended for those planning to do larger upholstery projects, an air or pneumatic staple gun, such as the AirCraft brand offered by Vermont Sales, offers the easiest method for stapling, but this does come at a price. These units are powered by an air compressor that must be purchased separately and use staples that are not always available at local hardware stores, but need to be purchased from the manufacturer / supplier.



At the end of the day, consider the type of upholstery projects that you will be doing and buy the most practical staple gun for the tasks at hand.