In which common wood should you not use iron nails and why?

tamarindgh

There are a lot of woods with a high acid content. Dont know which one you have in mind. Many of them cannot even be painted without being washed with a good paint thinner. Mar 03 05, 8:14 PM

robboy

Cedar (western red) will react badly to ungalvanized fasteners, and will eventually eat through even treated ones. Same story with redwood, although it's not as common a wood as cedar. Mar 03 05, 8:21 PM

tamarindgh

There are woods that will eat the galvanized coatings off of nails, and then start on the nail itself. Some woods require stainless steel fasteners, brass, or even copper, depending on the wood being used. Mar 03 05, 8:33 PM

gmackematix

I'd heard that iron nails rot oak. I suppose that is why much old oakenware is held together with wooden pegs. Mar 04 05, 1:39 AM