Hi-
I’ll be installing 3 1/4″ pre finished maple over plywood (joists are 2′ o.c) and wonder what the preferred fastener is… staples or nails…?
I had assumed nails would be preferred but someone recently mentioned to me that staples are the way to go these days.
btw- I’m planning on using an air gun.
Thanks
-Mike
Replies
Is it solid wood or engineered (plywood)? How thick? Does the manufacturers spec sheet give a preference? And, you do know that it takes a special nail or staple gun, one that's designed for flooring.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
the subfloor is 3/4" plywood (carpet is currently on top). not sure if there will be a spec. sheet or not, I'll have to check with the vendor supplying the floor. Yes. i do understand that i will need a special nailer for flooring .
-Mike
Edited 6/16/2005 7:19 pm ET by MSTASKO1
I meant ... is the finished flooring going to be solid or engineered? And how thick will it be?
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
3/4" & solid.
Six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Personally, I think staples are harder to pull out but the wider head under a wider drive shaft is more likely to split the tongue, while splined power nails dont. Porter Cable has a new shaped fastener that is reportedly designed to hold better in the new OSB and Advantech subfloor materials. I haven't used it yet.
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I lay the wood floor on most of the houses I build. I have a manual Porta-nailer and a PC air nailer.
I've nailed down most of the most common solid wood floors, quite a bit of Bamboo and a variety of local woods (Yew, Madrone, Western Maple, etc.).
I have a Finisher who does all the sanding, filling and coating.
I sub out the few laminate/engineered floors I'm asked to do.
I suppose staples are fine, and if I was going to do some engineered flooring someday, I would probably go for a stapler, but the nails, for me, and historically, have a good track record especially if you're going into a good quality plywood subfloor (yes, you can get good quality plywood) with a good nail pattern.
Hi WD,
"I have a manual Porta-nailer and a PC air nailer."
We've got about 2,000 sf of t&g pine to lay for an upcoming job - our first "real" wood floor. I am looking to buy a flooring nailer and am leaning in the direction of a manual Porta-nailer 402P. Or I could stop being such a cheapskate and buy a pneumatic gun (Bostitch MIIIFN or a PN 421P).
In your opinion for a GC who does a limited amount of flooring is the Pneumatic worth the extra cost?
I would appreciate your thoughts.
Dennis
I used my manual for several years until a fairly big maple job (about 3000 sq. ft.) gave me a good flair up of tennis elbow.
So I got the air nailer for the next job and the manual only comes out when I've got a helper (who gets the manual!).
Both work fine, but the magazine on the air nailer is shorter and I can get closer to a wall to start and a shorter stroke with the mallet so I can get closer as I approach a wall.
The pneumatic gets the planks just as tight as the manual with much less effort.
The Hose can be a pain, but if you keep it looped behind you it's not a big deal.
It's a little awkward to see the nail load in the PC (mine anyway) so sometimes I'll run dry and shoot 3 or 4 blanks before I realize it....just an annoyance.
Some other nailers, like the Bostitch, get good reviews here....so I'm not peddling the PC although it's been reliable for me and is nearly identical to the Porta-nailer pneumatic in appearance, quality and price.
To answer your basic question....yes, I think it's worth having if you'll be doing much flooring at all.
If you've used a manual, but never used a pneumatic, you'll be an instant convert on the first board you lay!
Thank you for the quick reply.
I get to buy a new air tool ... na na nah na nah!
Dennis
Use the staples, there is a special pneumatic staple nailer specifically for installing hardwood floors. It really does a fantastic job of keeping all the seems tight. It requires a rubber mallet and you strike a knob on top of the nailer with the mallet to shoot the staple. I have installed several thousand feet of hardwood floors with this nailer and it quick and easy to use. They also make a manual version but I recommend the pneumatic one. It really helps since not all the seams in the flooring will match perfectly and trying to get the wood to fit tight without this stapler is a pain. You can rent one and most major rental centers and even Home Depot.
http://www.bostitch.com/default.asp?CATEGORY=BOS%5FSPECIALTY%5FCONST%5FNAILER&TYPE=PRODUCT&PARTNUMBER=MIIIFN&SDesc=Industrial+Flooring+Cleat+Nailer