Nail guns are used to fire nails into wood or other approved materials. They are sometimes called roofing nail guns because they're often used to nail roofing material such as shingles onto the plywood that forms the roof. A roofing gun accomplishes the same task as a hand-held hammer but much more quickly.

However, it is more expensive to buy, requires a power source, and can be dangerous if not used carefully. For the hobbyist who builds small items around the home, such as a bookcase or deck furniture, a nail gun would not be a cost-effective tool.

A nail gun is best for larger projects such as roofing a home or attaching siding; it can reduce the time to complete your project from weeks to just days. There are three basic types of nail guns, determined by how they are fired: spring loaded, solenoid or pneumatic. Spring loaded nail guns are the simplest and most affordable.

They use springs under very high tension to fire the nails from the chamber. This type of gun uses a standard electrical cord for its power source. The electricity is required to put the springs back under tension so the gun may be fired again right away. Spring loaded guns tend to wear out faster than the other types, and can be hazardous to use in wet conditions because of the power cord.

A solenoid nail gun is powered using electromagnetic polarization. The nail is fired when the polarization in the gun is reversed, repelling the nail from the mechanism and into the wood. Reverse polarization is a cost-efficient, effective method for many types of tools and machinery because it provides significant power and is quite durable due to fewer moving parts to wear out.

The most popular and widely used type of nail guns are powered by compressed air, called "pneumatic" nail guns. Compressed air can provide huge amounts of power. In pneumatic guns the air pressure is used to initially hold the hammer in place, then fires the nail when the trigger is pulled.

These are the most popular form of nail guns because they only need an air compressor to run. Air compressors can be powered via a generator, eliminating the need for power cords and making the pneumatic gun safer to use in wet conditions.