Rusty nails ruining my weekend project

- Totally agree on stainless steel screws - haven't had rust issues since switching.
- Also, quick tip: pre-drilling holes helps avoid stripping heads, especially with hardwoods.
- Learned that the hard way...

Switched to stainless myself a few years back after losing a weekend to rusted nails that snapped halfway in. One thing though - pre-drilling is helpful, but I've found impact drivers make an even bigger difference with hardwoods. They seem to drive screws cleanly without stripping heads nearly as often. Wish I'd known that earlier...would've saved me some frustration and a couple of stripped screws stuck halfway into oak boards.

Had a similar experience last summer - thought I'd save time skipping pre-drilling on some seasoned maple boards...big mistake. Snapped two screws clean off halfway in. Switched to an impact driver after that, and yeah, night and day difference. Lesson learned the hard way, I guess.

Been there myself with the rusty nails... Last spring I was redoing an old shed roof and figured I'd just hammer straight through the shingles without checking first. Big mistake. Halfway through, I hit a patch of old, rusted nails hidden underneath. Bent three fresh nails in a row, mangled the shingles, total mess.

"Switched to an impact driver after that, and yeah, night and day difference."

Gotta agree with you on the impact driver - makes a huge difference for screws - but for nails, I ended up grabbing a pry bar and pulling out the rusted ones first. Took an extra half-hour, but saved me from even more headaches later on. If you're dealing with rusty nails regularly, might be worth investing in galvanized or coated replacements. Costs a bit more upfront, but saves your sanity down the line. Learned that lesson after too many weekends wasted wrestling with rust...

Yeah, galvanized nails are a lifesaver for sure. I redid a deck last summer and went galvanized from the start - zero regrets. But honestly, even with coated nails, I still ended up pulling a few bent ones out. Maybe it's my hammering technique that's off? Curious if anyone's tried those pneumatic nailers...are they worth the investment for occasional DIY stuff, or just overkill?