A brad nail is the smallest of the nail family. It's very thin and sometimes referred to as a wire nail. Brad nails have very small heads, and can be hand-driven with a tack hammer, or shot in with a pneumatic nail gun or electric nail gun. Brad nails can be found in your cabinets, bookcases, fireplace, window trim, narrow baseboards and some crown molding. Anywhere you find small trim, you'll find brad nails. The small size of the brad nail prevents delicate trim and molding from splitting during installation. The head is small enough to be barely noticeable when tacked or shot into place, and it can eliminate the need to putty the nail holes