Flooring Staples Vs Cleat Nails

Nails are available for installing engineered flooring.

Flooring staples vs cleat nails.

As to the staples do not staple any hardwood floor. When you follow the proper procedure for your fastener of choice you will get the best results possible. Certain cleat nailer models are specifically designed for use with thin engineered hardwood flooring like the primatech q 550 18 gauge cleat nailer which can be used to install 3 8 to 3 4 tongue and groove flooring. Some hardwood flooring installers insist on using traditional cleats while others only use staples to secure solid hardwood.

The staples hold the hardwood too well and don t allow the wood its normal seasonal changes. You can probably use staples to lay down the backer board under the hardwood floor if you re in a cold weather windy area this will help insulate the house by preventing airflow through the slots in the floorboard. I started using cleats but the last two floors used staples i just get the feeling that the staples hold better not that there has ever been a problem with cleats. A cleat nail offers a sharp rigid body to grip the sub floor firmly.

Most cleat nails are 16 ga. The big drawback with cleat nails is their cost which at 65 to 85 per 5000 is about twice the price of staples. Staples are made from steel just like cleats. A staple will give a stronger less forgiving hold because of its two pronged construction.

I think both are great as long as install correctly that the biggest issue i see is people not putting enough fasteners into the floor. With staples you get what you pay for. With staples you ll also have to nail in through the face thereby leaving marks all over the floor and ruining the appearance. Use only the flooring nail also called cleats that were designed for this purpose.

Nails allow for a more natural expansion and contraction of the hardwood floorboards with fewer problems. If you are using a pneumatic nailer or stapler make sure the air pressure is set correctly for the particular wood. Diy enthusiasts want to know which choice is best in the cleats vs staples argument. The tongues have been known to crack off and as a result the boards will tilt and squeak.

Or 18 ga but thinner 20 ga. A flooring nail or cleat is typically offered in either l head or t head variation check and see which variation your nail gun requires. Pros and cons of using cleats for hardwood floor installation. Finding the optimum fastener can be confusing.