Hardwood Floor Nailer - Tips You Should Know

One of the interesting tools of the trade when it comes to hardwood floor installation is the nailer. Regardless of whether it's a manual or pneumatic, the hardwood floor nailer is an important piece of equipment.

Manual Flooring Nailers

This is the oldest type of floor nailers and also the ones which require a lot of extra strength to use. The advantages are that you won't have to worry about an air compressor or tripping over hoses to install your wood floors. In addition, these manual units are lighter than their pneumatic counterparts.

The disadvantages include the fact that this nailer is manual. Expect to exert a lot of energy during installation. That may be great for the younger guys, but for us older ones it can be an overwhelming workout after a while.

Pneumatic Hardwood Flooring Nailers

Pneumatic models are the most common choice for floor nailers. Far less effort is required in order to use them, and they are easy to operate.

What's The Best Hardwood Floor Nailer?

That's the million dollar question, and unfortunately, you'll get a different answer from every professional you talk to. With that said, there are some models which have become quite popular.

A couple of these include the Porter Cable FCN200 and the Bostitch MIIIFN. Porta-Nail and Senco also put out some very good quality floor nailers as well. Prices on these units run in the range of $350 and up. So they are not cheap by any means.

Another option if you are looking at needing a hardwood floor nailer is to rent one. I've seen them being rented for $25/day. If you only need one for a day or two, this may be a good option. You'll have to do the math and see how the numbers work out in order to make a good decision between renting and buying.

You can also use the Internet to your advantage in searching for reviews on particular models and finding your best prices. You may find you can get a much better deal by shopping online.