If you are installing vinyl siding manually with no power tools then nails are your only real option.
Installing vinyl siding with nail gun.
Freeman pcn65 pneumatic 15 degree 2 1 2 coil siding nailer ergonomic and lightweight nail gun with tool free depth adjust and side load magazine black 4 3 out of 5 stars 536 158 75 158.
You cannot use a brad gun for installing siding because the brads leave two holes for each brad and do not hold up as well as siding nails.
Use aluminum galvanized steel or other corrosion resistant nails staples or screws when installing vinyl siding.
If you are doing regular horizontal siding the trick really is to make sure you are holding the gun square to the siding and to the building.
Aluminum trim pieces require aluminum or stainless steel fasteners.
I d say every 10th nail comes out at such an angle to clip the edge of the hole and either crack the siding or just put a hole in the edge that you have to pry out to allow the siding to move.
Because of this a pneumatic nail gun can make the job much easier.
Vinyl siding tends to expand and contract considerably with temperature changes.
For instance you will need a higher air pressure for nailing into fiber cement than you would into pine siding.
The gun should have adjustments so you can change the pressure used based on the type of siding you are nailing into.
Simply go outside grab the lower edges of a siding course and try to slide it back and forth photo 1.
For this reason manufacturers design it to hang loosely on the nails rather than to be tightly nailed like wood siding.
Installing vinyl siding involves a lot of nailing.
All fasteners must be able to penetrate a minimum of 1 1 4 32mm into nailable material such as wood sheathing and framing fig.
The problem should be easy to diagnose.