| Nail and Staple Installations |
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A Nail/Staple installation is typically used when installing 3/4" Solid Hardwood flooring. For this installation method the floor must be fastened with either a 2" L shaped Cleat nail, or a 2" U shaped Staple. Preferences between nails and staples depend a lot on the installer. Staples tend to hold the floor tighter together, while nails allow for a more natural expansion and contraction.
There are two types of flooring guns available for this installation, either a manual or a pneumatic gun. Pneumatic guns, although more expensive, provide air assistance when driving in the nail or staple, making installation faster and easier. On the other hand Manual Flooring Nailers allow for the installer to pull boards tighter by applying more force. The manual method is more labor intensive and will extend the amount of time needed to install the floor.
All Nail/Staple installations must be installed over a minimum of a 5/8" plywood subfloor or existing hardwood flooring. It is recommended that with subfloors less than 3/4" thick the floor should be run perpendicular to the floor joists, with subfloors greater than or equal to 3/4" thick the floor can be run in either direction. It is important to identify the type of subfloor you are nailing/stapling into, there are many types of wood subfloors and many cannot be nailed/stapled into.
Before installation ensure that your subfloor is free of imperfections and high variations. Then lay down a moisture paper, either a #15 Felt paper or Fortifibers Aquabar. Fasten the paper with staples sporadically to hold in place until you lay the flooring. This will both make installation easier, by providing a smoother surface to slide boards together, and help prevent moisture from coming up through the subfloor.
When Nailing or Stapling a Hardwood floor it is important to understand that it is possible to over nail/staple or under nail/staple. It is important to nail/staple the floor every 6-10". It is also important to leave an expansion gap around the entire perimeter of the floor of 1/4" to a 1/2". This allows the floor to expand and contract.
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