Can You Use A Brad Nailer For Flooring

Since laminate flooring looks so much like hardwood flooring you may wonder if the installation process is to nail laminate flooring down to the subfloor.

Can you use a brad nailer for flooring.

The choice for most buyers is between gauges. A flooring nailer is the preferred method for attaching flooring but a brad nailer used correctly runs a close second. In addition you must countersink every nail to avoid interfering with the tongue of the next plank. Even though both of these nailers look the same have almost the same size and use the same nails they are quite different from each other.

A flooring nailer has a shoulder that fits over the tongue for accurate nail insertion but a nailer doesn t fit on the groove edge. Since a flooring nailer is not one of the tools to use often you could opt for a finishing type instead of buying something that you will probably use only once. Let us take a look at a few differences between brad vs finish nailer. Made specifically to fit over the top edge of the plank and the tongue this nailer shoots a headless nail through the tongue and into the subfloor or the floor joist beneath.

In theory yes it will work. Superficially finish nailers can appear almost interchangeable with brad nailers. However this is not the case. A finishing nailer will also do a decent job on the hardwood floor by shooting almost headless nails and it will leave no traces behind as you move.

When to use a brad nailer. That said it is much better to use a. The thickness of the nail the gun is designed to fire. Brad nailers are less costly but they are less powerful as well and therefore entirely unsuitable for working with hardwoods.

To nail the groove you must nail by hand but you have a very small space in which to work. Instead you have to use a finish nailer. It s an electric tool that s designed to fire 18 gauge brads into wood for securing. The floor needs to be able to expand and contract with temperature changes and therefore must freely lay on the underlayment or.

You want to ensure that the boards are tight together and that you nail angles back and down into the joists and countersunk. The best brad nailers available are highly versatile when it comes to nail accommodations and can handle a variety of projects. A brad nailer is usually a little smaller as compared to a. Since laminate flooring is a floating floor it is not meant to be attached to the subfloor by nails or glue.

You can t use a brad nailer to fasten baseboards.