Any DIY enthusiast will tell you that a staple gun is something you’ll find yourself needing sooner rather than later, or at the very least will vastly expand your repertoire of projects. When it comes to DIY upholstery, though, the features you’ll want in a staple gun play a big role for the unit you ultimately pick. Options with extended noses or extension attachments are a huge plus when you need to get in between the seams and cracks of your couch or armchair, while the plush surfaces prone to giving under pressure would require more than a simple flush nose triggered staple gun. So which upholstery staple guns fit the bill? Let’s take a look at our picks.
KEN’S PICK
Porter-Cable US58 C-Crown Upholstery Stapler
This staple gun ticks off all the boxes we’re looking for to snag its place at the top – its standard Senco C crown, 22-gauge, 3/8-inch staples are the ideal when it comes to upholstery projects, the gun’s ability to dispense staples of lengths 1/4-5/8 inches giving you versatility depending on your fastening needs. The staple gun comes with a 1 inch nose extension for those hard to reach corners and seams for the perfect coverage.
Despite being a pneumatic staple gun, known for their bulkier structures because of their air compressors, this nifty little device clocks in at just 1.8 pounds, making it perfectly convenient to use for upholstery projects without breaking a sweat. With an operational air pressure range between 70 to 120 per square inch (PSI), as with most high-functioning pneumatic staple guns, this unit will work just fine with most air compressor models. To ensure the smoothest operation and functionality of the staple gun, the kit comes with its own tool oil, a drop or two of which into the air inlet is sufficient to let you fire away, literally and figuratively, a rear exhaust system keeping contaminants away from the fabric you’re working with.
The unit works on sequential mode – the staple gun only fires once you have positioned the gun’s nose and then pressed the trigger. This gives you the degree of precision you’d need for an upholstery job re-doing a set of dining chairs or your living-room couch. The magazine has a capacity of 185 staples, plenty for a single round of stapling, the bottom-load system easy to slip off as you retract the unit’s catch, also making it easy to un-jam the device should it be giving you trouble.
KEN’S BUDGET PICK
Freeman PFWS Professional Fine Wire Stapler
Great for use not just with upholstery but also other applications like insulation, screening and roofing, this staple gun works with 20-gauge staples of lengths 1/4 to 9/16 inches, usable with the easily accessible and high-quality Arrow T-50 series as well as Generic Fine Wire Staples. With an operational air pressure range between 60 and 100 PSI, this lightweight budget-friendly pneumatic staple gun works in sequential mode, taking away the risk of misfiring, and improving precision by making sure a staple is only dispensed once the nose has been firmly pressed into the desired surface, and the trigger pulled.
The rear exhaust of this staple gun is adjustable within 360 degrees, which is a convenient feature to not just keep contaminants away from the chair or cushion you’re working on, but also yourself. Reversible belt hooks let you cinch the gun to your belt as you work so you don’t have to worry about where to keep it, and have it handily within reach.
Designed to be durable, the aluminum of the gun’s cylinder and 100-staple capacity magazine is anodized to prevent rusting or corrosion, while tool oil and Allen wrenches are included with the kit to ensure ease of maintenance and operation. The no-mar tip of the gun also ensures you don’t damage the surfaces you’re using the stapler on, the ergonomic design making it easy and effortless to hold and use.
RUNNER-UP
Surebonder 9600 Pneumatic Fine Wire Staple Gun
Though versatile in its applications, this pneumatic staple gun has made a name for itself for its effectiveness as an upholstery staple gun, its narrow nose letting you get into all the tight corners you’d need to reach when tackling all the edges of your reading chair’s seating. Built to dispense Surebonder #4 staples but working just as well with the Arrow T-50 or Stanley TRA700 series, the staple gun holds 3/8-inch crown, 18-gauge staples of lengths from 1/4 to 9/16 inches, making this the kind of multifunctional unit you’d want to invest in if you’re looking at a one-off upholstery project, since you’d still be able to use the unit for a bunch of other repair and renovation activities as well.
The adjustable exhaust is a handy feature to keep recycled air and other contaminants away from you and your fresh upholstery, the operational air pressure range of 60-100 PSI and 100-staple magazine capacity making the job even easier. The staple gun uses a sequential mode of operation, not letting you fire any staples unless the nose is in contact with a surface and only then the trigger is pushed, keeping the risks of misfires and accidents to a minimum while improving accuracy.
The kit includes a hex key, tool oil and a carry case for ease of maintenance and smooth operation.
RUNNER-UP
Surebonder 9615A Upholstery Stapler
If you’re looking for an option exclusively for upholstery, though, this may be the staple gun for you. Designed to dispense 22-gauge staples (just right for upholstery) of lengths 5/16 to 5/8 inches, the staple gun can operate at air pressures between 60 and 100 PSI. A latch keeps the gun from engaging if it’s in the lock or safety position, the manual system a handy feature since some staple guns require adequate pressure of the nose flush against your work surface to let you trigger, which is a bit difficult to achieve with upholstery and cushioning since the material is likely to give and yield under the pressure. The sequential mode of operation for this model helps prevent misfires and improves accuracy as well, the kit coming with tool oil and Allen wrenches to enable smooth, efficient operation.