Sirsalliyan Small Air Compressor

Cleat Nailer Stapler

Subfloors, Staplers, And Other Tools For A Hardwood Flooring Installation

You've made the decision to install hardwood flooring into your home. Moreover, you've decided to handle the project yourself rather than spending the money on professional installers. You're understandably excited (maybe a little nervous) about doing the job correctly the first time. As with any home improvement project that you undertake, the more prepared you are, the better the outcome.

With that in mind, we'll explore some of the tools of the trade. Assuming you want to avoid the labor-intensive "nail and hammer" approach used by installers long ago, you'll need to acquire a stapler or nailer to fasten the nails. You'll also want to make sure you have a proper subfloor in place. We'll introduce you these tools and others to help prepare you for the job at hand.

Making Sure You Have A Proper Subfloor

In many ways, your finished wood floors will only be as good as your subfloor. This is the portion that lies directly underneath your strips, planks, or parquets. Your nails will fasten the two together. If your subfloor is unsuitable, you can expect your flooring to creak, groan, and pop down the road.

If your subfloor is concrete, make sure it's dry before laying your hardwood floors. Moisture can require up to two months to dissipate; if the concrete doesn't dry thoroughly, it will cause problems later. Concrete is commonly used for sub-flooring in homes that lack a basement. Otherwise, wood is used.

Aside from being dry, it's important that your subfloor is level and of a suitable grade given the variety of wood you're using for the flooring. It's also important that you stick to either concrete or wood. Don't use particle board or pressboard. Neither are strong enough to provide the necessary support for the nails.

Tools For Fastening Your Nails

Long before nailing tools were powered by compressed air, they required the installer to use his strength to drive the nails with a hammer. To suggest it was tough, painstaking work is an understatement. Fortunately, those tools have been all but replaced with pneumatic fasteners. Rather than requiring you to hit (with precise aim) the nail in order to seat it into the boards, these air-powered nailers and staplers only require a small tap. The majority of the work is handled by the compressed air.

So, which tool should you use: a pneumatic nailer or a stapler? The answer depends on whom you ask. A lot of experts suggest that staplers are problematic because they fasten the hardwood floors too tightly against the subfloor. That creates creaking. On the other hand, some people feel that staplers fasten the nails more securely than a cleat nailer and thus, do the job more effectively. In the end, you should ask the manufacturer of the wood you're using which fastener is more appropriate.

Nails, Staples, And Mallets

The nails that are seated by pneumatic nailers have a barb-like cut on their end. When they're driven through the wood board and subfloor, the barbs grab and hold the two layers together. Staples work differently. Their ends are treated with a special resin that improves their gripping ability. When the staples are engaged by a pneumatic stapler and driven through the solid wood and subfloor, the resulting friction activates the resin and gives it a glue-like quality.

Even though you're using an air-powered fastener, you'll need to have a mallet within reach. One side will be made from hard rubber while the other side is made from metal. The rubber end can be used to correct mild bowing in your strips or planks. The metal end is there simply to balance the weight.

Those are the main tools you'll need to install your hardwood floors. You'll also want to have glue, a tape measure, and a saw nearby for quick measurements and fixes. Equipped with the above instruments, you're ready to start the installation.

About the Author

This information was provided by Footprints Floors, a company focused on ethical business and hard work, provides Denver hardwood flooring. Visit them online at http://www.footprintsfloors.com

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