It's easy to get confused over the endless types of nails in your hardware department store. They're used in a assortment of materials for projects like wood and masonry, which are the two most common materials which are used. There is the long nail, the short nail, galvanized and brass nails, plus many different types of nail heads. They're each used for something in or around your home, such as remodeling the interior of your home.

To help you learn more about nails, here's the 5 most frequently used types of nails, and what you'll use them for.

Your common nail is used often when wood doesn't require finish work. The times to use these nails are for two by fours and other boards like particleboard or normal wood panels. It's got a flat head and is available in different lengths. Usually with these the head is left visible. Use these nails around your home or garage for normal remodeling.

The casing nail is for finer work projects, such as cabinets and molding trim work. This is so that ugly nail heads don't ruin your detailed work.

Finishing nails can be used interchangeably with casing nails for fine woodwork. This is because the rounded nails heads can be counter sunk so as not to show.

Common Brads are decided by length only. They work well for very light work, and are used the same as the casing nails for your trim work. They're lighter weight nails, and are shorter than the ordinary finishing nail.

Now, box nails are almost like a common nail except the head is a lot larger. The shank of this nail is also much larger, and is used mostly for decking or framing. This is the perfect nail for superior holding power in your nailing.

There actually may be times when other kinds of fasteners come in handy as well. As a homeowner, you really never know what might end up broken, or what different types of projects that you might want to take on. Here's a couple more types of nailing that you may need to have lying around.

If you're looking to build a big doghouse, or a sandbox for the kids then the galvanized nail is the perfect choice. This is because they're coated with a type of solution that will not easily rust. The tough shanks will keep them from easily bending as well, giving you a much stronger finished product.

You may want to keep some paneling nails around as well. These are colored to match the type and color of paneling that you are either putting up or replacing.

If you need to mount something on the wall of your basement then the masonry nail is the nail you'll want to use.

Your aluminum nails are a extremely soft and are best used for certain things such as mounting lights for a pool. They're not all that strong strong, but they won't rust on you.

The pointless nail is not pointless if you're very particular about not splitting the wood you're working with. It's perfect for molding trim or even corner pieces for your baseboards.