I’m replacing some damaged boards in an Oak strip floor before refinishing and have a question about nailing. The areas are really too small and too close to a wall to make renting a flooring nailer worthwhile. But, I do have a compressor and a finish nailer. Is it ok to use the nailer to nail through the tongue and into the joists (NOT surface nailed as in a previous note!). I’m concerned that the finish nails would not hold. What is the proper way to do this?
Thanks,
George
Replies
the finish nails don't have enough gauge or enough head
go old school and nail with 8d flooring nails through the tongue
you can predrill to avoid aggravation
the last courses will need to be face nailed if the tongue needs to be removed to weave the strips in or if you're up against a wall
Pnuematic trim nails aren't a wise choice for flooring.
Predrill through the tongues and hand nail using flooring nails.
Face nail the boards too close to the wall.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Thanks for the advise. By flooring nails you mean the T or L head cleats or spiral shank nails? If the former, I have a box of pneumatic flooring cleats left over from a previous DIY flooring job I did. Can those be hand nailed?
George
What size finish nailer? I can't believe anyone can claim that a 15 gauge nailer cannot hold down T&G oak. That is ridiculous.
Nail as much as you can through the tongue, but don't hesitate to face nail, either. They will totally disappear with a little putty when sanding.
It is a PC 15ga, 2-1/2" angle nailer.
George
It will be perfectly adequate.
I used the exact same nailer on my own floor 3 years ago. Angle the nailer so that it is shooting into the strip much like a flooring nailer does. The biggest problem I had is I missed the tongue now and then so there was a visible nick in the surface. It was not as fast as a flooring nailer but it's held up fine. Maybe someday I'll know a little something.
One problem with nailing vertically through the tongue ... not angled back toward the main part of the board. The nail will be exposed below the tongue, and will interfere with the bottom portion of the groove of the next board.
"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