Powder-Actuated Tools 
Basement floors and walls are almost always made of concrete or concrete products, which can present some difficulty when it comes time to attach walls. You can use hardened masonry screws for fastening, but that involves lots of tedious drilling and usually a few broken or stripped screw heads. An easier alternative is to use small charges of gunpowder to drive hardened nails into metal or concrete with a powder-actuated nail gun.
Powder-actuated nailers look and work a bit like a pile driver or handgun. A steel barrel holds specially designed hardened nails called drive pins. The nails are equipped with a plastic sleeve to keep them centered in the barrel. Driving force is delivered by a small gunpowder charge, called a powder load, which looks like a rifle shell with a crimped tip. The powder loads fit into a magazine behind the barrel on the tool. Squeezing the tool’s trigger, or hitting the end with a hammer (depending on the tool style), activates a firing pin that ignites the gunpowder. The expanding gases drive a piston against the nail at great force. Powder-actuated nailers can drive only one fastener at a time, but some styles will hold a clip of multiple power loads for faster operation.
Powder loads are made in a range of color-coded calibers to suit different nailing applications and drive pin sizes. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations carefully to choose the correct load and fastener for your task. Generally, the safest method is to start with the lowest energy load that will work for your nailing situation and see if it’s sufficient to fully drive the nail. Use the next stronger load, if necessary.
Powder-actuated nailers are easy to use for do-it-yourselfers and safe for indoor projects, provided you wear hearing and eye protection and follow all manufacturer’s instructions. Most home centers sell the nail guns and supplies, or you can rent these tools.
Powder-actuated nail guns (PATs) are designed in two styles. Plunger types are activated by hitting the end of the shaft with a hammer, while trigger styles function like a handgun. With either type, the barrel must be depressed against the work surface to release a safety before a drive pin can be fired.
Powder loads contain various amounts of gunpowder inside a crimped shell. Color coding ensures that you’re using the right amount of charge for your drive pin size and the materials you’re fastening together. Follow the color charts carefully, starting with a low-powder charge.
Powder-actuated nailers offer the quickest and easiest method for fastening framing to block, poured concrete, and steel.
PATs use hardened nails, called drive pins, in a range of sizes. A plastic finned sleeve centers the drive pin in the tool barrel.
