This was my first attempt at installing hardwood floors. Purchasing a nail gun was a top priority. The market is limited but the few nailers out there all come with high marks. I chose this particular model based upon the few excellent reviews on this forum and the quick change option from floor to face nailing. The gun sits easily and quickly each time. The different types of nails/staples/ cleats receive their own praise but my personal choice was the porta nail. The nail itself appears to be stronger and heavier compared to the others. Your local Home Depot carries the porta nails, but not this particular nailer. This nailer is a tough find and have not been able to find anyone that stocks it, other than Amazon. The gun has worked flawlessly, and comes in a complete package. You have to purchase other shoes to fit flooring outside 3/4 inch. Since I will only install that type it is not a big deal, as of yet. Just tapping the gun is enough, no need to slam. Works great each time and have installed about 800 sq feet without a single problem. Makes a novice like me, into a more experienced novice in short time. Great purchase and was not jumping for joy at the price. Still, I was not forced to buy it and I do believe you get what you pay for. Porta-Nail 421P Pneumatic Floor Nailer with Both Line Nailer Shoe and Face Nailer Shoe
After much investigation into a very limited market of pneumatic floor nailers, I finally decided on Porta-Nails 421P Hammerhead 2. My first ever flooring project involved installation of 400 square feet of 3/4 inch by 2-1/2 wide tongue and groove finished oak strip flooring at my home. A significant time and money saver of this versatile nailer is that this single tool can do both straight-up face nailing and hidden-angled nailing - as you'll quickly learn both are equally time consuming phases of floor installation. Switching between the two configurations was straightforward and only involved three screws and a few minutes of time. Flooring nails were driven to their proper depth and the nailer was very forgiving in that it was not sensitive to exact placement. Nails easily loaded into the tool, fired with little effort after tapping the firing head while squeezing the safety latch in the handle, and I only encountered one jam after inadvertently nailing on top of another nail. Fixing the jam was confusing at first based on the limited description in the manual, but once I figured out the mechanics of opening the jam latch, the jammed nail was quickly removed and work proceeded. I especially take comfort in the 2 year warranty period whereas the competition offers 1 year or less. I also like the strong carrying case containing the nailer and its accessories. Flooring nails come in strips and load easily, but for the most part don't expect intact strips of nails to survive the mail order shipping/handling process. Make sure you take into account the nailer's requirement for an air compressor that can deliver 90 to 100 pounds per square inch of supply air pressure. Overall, an immensely durable, powerful, and versatile floor nailer that provided for a wonderful and impressive first time experience.
I have been looking at floor nailers for a while since I started this project. Either buy one or rent one. First thing comes to my mind is that I don't want to use a manual nailer even the floor I will be doing is only about 300 sq. feet. Not that I can't work hard, just the thought if you use a tool, let the tool work for you. That narrows down to a few. I went to local rental stores to find that most of them carry Bostitch and Porta-Nail (manual nailer). When I compare the nails, Porta-Nail really stands out and makes Stanley/Bostitch nails look weak. 1000-nail box is heavier and the mean looking shape of the nail gives you some kinda of insurance that it will secure the floor for good. Then after some research, I ended up getting the Porta-Matic Hammerhead2 air-powered nailer kit. It comes in a 30"x20' black plastic case, weighs about 35 lbs. It has a few allen wrenches and a screw driver with hex socket on the handle for changing the shoes. Pair of safety glasses and face nailing shoe. Rubber head hammer with comfortable handle. The nailer itself is well built with nice red finish and aluminum magazine and safety trigger pull. One screw from the bottom and two bolts on front hold the shoe in place. Head heavy hammer feels nice in hand. By that time, I already read the manual (downloaded from Porta-Nail's website in PDF format). Since I was not ready to put the new floor in yet, I tried the face nailing to stop the squeaking in my old floor. I will be putting new floor on top of the old one, so it is a good idea to get rid of the squeaks first. Changing the face nailing shoe is a breeze. The nailer only fits in the case with the regular shoe on BTW. Hook it up to compressor and set to 90 PSI. Load the nails, sit the nailer on the spot, depressed safety trigger and tap the ram with the rubber head hammer. (Note: you tap this thing not strike as you would do with a manual nailer.) This thing fires like if there is no tomorrow and the nail is set about 1/8" beneath the surface. I was totally impressed and of course the squeak was gone. I can't wait to put my new floor in now. It will put a test on this nailer since it is Brazilian cherry we are talking about - one of the hardest wood floor available. I am confident that this nailer will fullfil the task as I expected it would. I think it's well worth the extra (price) over the Bostitch nailer. I will be back with the result of the installation of my new floor.
I bought this tool to put up 800sq feet of strip oak flooring. I'm a total novice. After putting 400sq, I must say I'm very happy with my purchase. It comes with a nice case, hammer, safety glasses and face/blind nailing attachments. And boy let me tell you, when you do a job (any job) the tools you use can make or break the project. Using this nailer has been a pure joy. Blind nailing is a no brainier. The cleat sits on the subfloor and against the tongue. A simple tap on the trigger and BAM! Only one compliant: This is big tool and will force you to face nail the last 5 rows. - Hardwood Flooring Nailer - Pneumatic Nailer'
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