How To Staple Tongue And Groove Flooring

Diaz thinks staples have better holding power.

How to staple tongue and groove flooring.

Minimum 5 8 inch cdx existing wood floor or tongue and groove flooring is also acceptable. When you nail tongue and groove flooring properly the nails are invisible so american floor installers call the process blind nailing while british installers call it secret nailing. You can nail down a floor using either cleat nails or staples. Most engineered flooring can be installed using staples full spread adhesive or a floating method over an approved subfloor.

Manufacturers recommend that you install the planks with the tongue side against the wall and the groove side facing into the room. Drive the nails through the shoulder of the tongues into the framing at about a 45 degree angle. Put a staple every 6 to 8 inches. For tongue and groove flooring drive a nail at a 45 degree angle through the tongue then conceal it by engaging the groove of the next board.

3 4 inch cdx plywood is preferred and 3 4 inch osb is acceptable. The floor planks are tongue and groove style so they should slide right together. From the wall measure one board width and snap a chalk line. Top nailing is an option with wide plank hardwood or pine floors.

Use a pneumatic flooring stapler to drive staples through the groove at a 45 degree angle image 1. In a typical hardwood flooring installation the tongues of the boards must all face in the same direction. The next grooved edge will hide the nail holes. After nailing the tongues of one course.

One of the cool things about tongue and groove walls is that you can use a technique called blind nailing if you do it properly you won t have any nail heads showing or holes to fill. Tongue and groove flooring solves the pesky problems such as shrinking warping and working loose commonly experienced by nailing planks to floor joists. Top nailing with hard cut iron nails in addition to using the flooring stapler can give you that formal farmhouse kind of look. Lock the boards into place then face nail the first row of boards then use a pneumatic flooring nailer to nail each nail into the tongue of the board.

We installed gorgeous reclaimed tongue and groove oak flooring in our new office and we share with you the basic steps you can take to install flooring in.