The 7 Best Staple Guns for Upholstery – Reviews in 2019

When most of us think of staple guns, we are generally thing about those ever-so-useful little tools that we use in the office to keep papers together. People working on making or repairing upholstery also need staple guns, but a lot more power is needed than that obtained from a little squeeze of the hand. Many of these work with an attached air compressor to force out the staple at high velocity. The air compressors usually have to be bought separately, but, in some cases, the staplers are electric powered without the assistance of an external compressor. In this article, we will consider how we might choose the best staple gun for upholstery.

The light weight design of this stapler is great for usability. Coming in at only one and ¾ pounds, you can use it for as long as you need without wrist ache. You’re also safe in the knowledge that the exhaust for the compressor faces away from the user.

In addition to the 15,000 free staples, the staple gun comes with tool oil, an allen wrench and a carrying case. Users report it to be a comfortable tool to operate.

Features promoted by the manufacturer include a quick release magazine to make loading easy and a safety mechanism to prevent accidental firing which is a great addition especially if you may be working with children around.

Two hex wrenches, tool oil, a quick release connector and a carrying case are included. The manufacturer claims that the Surebonder 9600A’s general balance and rubber grips make the tool particularly comfortable to work with.

Its ingenious bottom loading design makes changing the size or adding extra staples a breeze. If you do get a jam or blockage this also makes it easy to rectify quickly and safely.

The 10-600 comes with a 14-gauge, 12 foot power cord so that you don’t have to bring what you are working on to the plug. You have the length and space to work. The rubber grip on the handle makes it easy to hold and control the stapler while case is included with the purchase.

A special feature is a particularly long nose that makes for easier access in those awkward to reach places. This seems to be the main draw for people choosing the Unicatch.

We have mentioned some of the staple guns on the market that are suitable for working on upholstery. So, which is the best one for you to buy?

We may all be used to using our office staplers, but a staple gun for upholstery requires a little more sophistication. It must be capable of ejecting staples with enough force to penetrate the wood or other underlying material.

Question: Should I buy an electric stapler, or an air powered one?

Answer: For light home repairs, an electric stapler is probably best, especially if usage is limited. However, for more heavy duty work it would be better to choose pneumatic.

Question: Should my Stapler be capable of high psi settings?

Answer: Usually the PSI settings will be made on the air-compressor not on the stapler, incidentally. The higher pressure will cope with tougher material beneath the upholstery, but in most cases a psi of 90 should be adequate.

Question: Why do some staplers feature oddly-shaped long noses?

Answer: It is true that some staplers have longer noses than others. The reason is that these make it easier to reach less accessible areas that need to be upholstered.

Question: Staplers carry different amounts of staples in their magazines. What is the point of holding lots of staples?

Answer: Quite simply if you just need to put in one or two staples there is not much point at all, but if your unit to be upholstered requires a lot of stapling then it is much easier if the magazine carries many staples and does not need constant reloading.

Staple sizes are shown in abbreviations like 22 ga. 3/8 inch. What does this mean?

Answer: The “ga.” Is the gauge of the wire and the fraction of an inch is the length of the staple’s leg or shank.

Using an upholstery staple gun is relatively simple. First thing to do is to choose suitably sized staples for the job. As we said earlier the sizes are measured in terms of the gauge, or thickness of the metal and the length of the wire. The tougher the underlying material into which you are stapling, the tougher the gauge you will need. Likewise, the type of materials on which you are working will determine the length of staple wire that you should be using. If you are stapling into wood, for example, specially if you are stapling two pieces of wood together, you will need a fairly long wire. If, on the other hand, you are simply stapling cloth onto wood then you will need fairly short staples which will sit fairly flush with the surface.

Having chosen the suitable size of staple to use, load your stapler’s magazine with staples. Different staplers are loaded in different ways, so you will need to read your instructions to see the specific way for your stapler. Then, assuming that you are using a modern electric or pneumatic stapler (as opposed to a manual one), connect the power supply or the air supply hose, remove your safety catch (most staplers will have a safety catch) and fire away at your material.

The whole process is quite simple. Just make sure that you do read the instructions for the specifics of your stapler. If you still feel any uncertainty about using an upholstery stapler for the first time have a look at a You Tube clip on the subject. You tube is a great resource for finding “how to” tips on all manner of DIY work.

Working with a stapler that has been designed for upholstery tasks is a bit like working with a gun. The stapler ejects metal at high velocity and if someone gets in the way of that flying metal the consequences could be quite unpleasant, even if the stapler will not generally prove as lethal as a gun.

But using a staple gun safely is really a matter of common sense. Just follow this four-step approach to safe usage:

Another small safety aspect to keep in mind is that it is good to choose a stapler that has a good solid rubber grip so that you don’t drop it or let it accidentally point at a different direction while you are using it.

Modern technology has made life a lot easier for upholsterers Electronic and pneumatic staplers have played a not-insignificant role here. How much and what type of upholstery you do will determine the best staple gun for upholstery that ties in with your requirements. The market offers a considerable range of such tools and deciding which one to buy can be confusing. If this is the first time that you will be purchasing one, we hope that this article has been of some help in enabling you to make the right choice when looking for the best staple gun for upholstery. Enjoy your shopping.