Hello, I am looking for the best value on pneumatic hardwood floor staplers. Any recommendations? So far I’ve looked at the Bostitch, the Grip-rite, and the Spotnails FS755. I don’t do many solid floors, but would rather spend the money once if you know what I mean.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Replies
Why staples rather than nails?
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I heard somewhere that staples held better. Also are cleats available at the Home Depot or Lowes?
Our HD has cleats and no staples!
That's pretty funny. I better check what mine carries. For some reason I thought cleats were old school and not used much anymore. thanks for all the help to everybody!
There are two types of nails ... t-head and L-head. My Porter Cable uses the L-head nails, and they can usually be found at Home Depot. Some of the other brand nailers use the t-head, and Lowes usually carries them. You can also get both types on line, or at a good tool store.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Now I am confused. You are talking about nails not cleats?
I call'em nails ... as in Porta-Nailer brand tool. They are far removed from the nails you use with a 2x4. I had cleats on my football shoes in high school.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
First off, I would get a cleat nailer, not a stapler.
You want the "best value"....that would be the Grizzly knock off of the older style Bostitch nailer for $195. It is absolutely identical to the Bostitch. You could use Bostitch parts in it I think.
Caution....In typical Grizzly fashion, they have cut any corner they could to keep the price down. In this case, they skipped cleaning them after manufacturing. The guns come from the factory absolutely filthy dirty inside with machining grindings and dirty thick grease which will make them devour the o-rings in a very short time.
The solution to this is to completely (and I mean every piece) disassemble the gun before ever firing it and clean it thoroughly. An automotive type parts washer works good for this.
Reassemble and lube the gun and it will work just like the Bostitch for a long,long time!
Your reward for this is saving about $250. You decide if it's worth it to you.
Thanks for the advice on Grizzly. I've always been leary of their tools because of what you said. I may just give that a try though- that is a big chunk of money off the top. You also recommend the cleat nailer? I thought I read the staples hold better.
Thanks
we got the bostich stapler.. works great.. you can also get SS staples and use it for exterior T&G decking
don't know if the cleats hold better than the staples..but either way , you can't rip the floor
our old Porta-nailer used cleats.. i think the staples hold better than the old Porta-nailerMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I personally prefer cleats for a number of reasons. In my experience, either cleats or nails will hold tight enough to do the job. I like Mike's idea of using SS staples on exterior t&g decking tho.
I think cleats are a little stronger, so they don't want to bend as easily going into the wood.
If the cleat doesn't get driven completely, you just get a punch and hammer and set it.
I break apart cleat sticks and hammer them in manually as you get close to the edge of the room. They hold better than finish nails and you can get much closer than you can with a finish nailer.
If you don't drive it perfectly, it's much easier to seat than a staple, which probably has to be pulled out.
Edited 2/7/2007 11:25 pm ET by BoJangles
I just finished up 700 sq. feet of prefinished 3/4" German beech using the Harbor Freight (known to me and my friends as "Crappy Tool Store") item # 90399 floor stapler. I think it's a Bostitch copy; uses Bostitch staples. Worked perfectly. They're usually on sale between $120 - $140. DO NOT use the Harbor Freight staples; they have the structural integrity of recycled beer cans. Cheap beer cans.
Edited 2/7/2007 10:27 pm ET by knudln
I prefer staples myself, driven with a pneumatic stapler. I rent one when I need it. Could have bought a cleat nailer for a good price but didn't want it. Staples hold better and don't split brittle woods as much.