My pneumatic hardwood floor nailer sometimes leaves unsightly marks my prefinished hardwood when I am nailing it. Is there something I should put over the plate on the nailer that will prevent it from marking the hardwood?
Equipment Issues
Apr 172009
I’m looking at buying a used bostitch air nailer. Would it be better to buy one that shots staples or nails? Is there any advantage of one over the other?
Apr 072007
Have you ever heard of a plug cutter that drills a pilot hole for the screw, a countersink for the screwhead, and a plug hole at the same time? I am installing random width, and this plug cutter also has a built in stop to not drill the plug to deep. My father said he used to use one all the time, yet I cannot find one.
Mar 092007
We are installing 1400 sq. feet of 3/4″ X 5″ wide maple prefinished flooring. Would you recommend using a stapler or nailer?
Is a cleat the same as a nail?
March 9, 2007
Equipment Issues, Equipment-Product Reviews, Installation Comments Off
Feb 122007
Is there a tool to remove 1 1/4″ staples from wood floors without breaking the staple?
Removing staples from wood floors
February 12, 2007
Equipment Issues, Ripping Out Old Flooring Comments Off
Feb 122007
I’ve taken carpet off stairs and am preparing to lay oak on treads and oak veneer on risers. I plan to leave spruce stringers and just repaint them. But I can see that when I cut back the existing nosings of about 1 3/8″ to be flush with riser there will be an ugly gap and rough edge of the existing nosing in the stringer where I cut the nosing back, which will not be fully covered by new solid oak nosing. If I simply sand, wood fill this, and then paint over it, will that work or is there a better technique? Also, what’s the best power tool to use to cut back the nosings so I can get in tight to the stringers?
I am installing some new 5/8″ hard wood floors, glue down over concrete. My home has a large floor plan and a large island in the kitchen, while meeting up around the island I noticed the 2 pieces had a slight gap. Unfortunately, I noticed this after the panel was down. I would like to rip down the existing piece to continue in a straight path, and sort of hide the mistake. Do you recommend I do this with a skill saw or router with a straight edge in place as a guide? Any other suggestions?
Jan 222007
My hardwood floors were installed under the kitchen cabinets and have not held up well. I would like to remove them, and install ceramic tiles. How do you remove the old flooring without tearing out the kitchen cabinets?
Jul 042006
We had a very reputable flooring firm refinish our hardwood floors. I routinely wiped the floors with their cleaner. They used their own products. However, we are devastated with the end result. They put two coats of ***** ***** on the floors; they look mottled like the wax isn’t adhering in some places. I noticed that there product containers were covered with thick dust like they had been stored a long time. I realize patent dates can change but the small date like 1/91 wasn’t a patent date but printed on the label. One had a patent date of 1987; could these outdated product possibly of caused this mottled look; it is in all areas of the flooring over 700 sq. ft. We had a large area rug and it looks the same in that area as the halls. I read online that there is a shelf life of like 2 years if unopened; it look like one container of shine had been opened; not quite full.
What is the best type of sander and what are the best grades of paper to use to sand pine stair treads before refinishing? How can I get right to the edges of the treads? Would a detail sander be useful for the last stage?
Jan 182006
My kitchen had ceramic tile with a subbase of 3/4 in plywood. How do I remove the sub floor which extends under the cabinets?
Removing subfloor around kitchen cabinets
January 18, 2006
Equipment Issues, Installation Comments Off
Jan 092006
I have done a few floors for friends and relatives and have always finished off the last few rows that you can’t get to with the nailer, by hand with finishing nails, hammer and punch. This is very laborious and time consuming. I’m about to lay about 2000 square feet for myself and would like to know what the pros use to do this job. I assume they use some sort of pneumatic brad/finish/staple gun. If so, I would like to go out and buy the best one. What do you recommend and what size and type of nails or staples should it handle?
Oct 012005
I am in the process of removing my existing hardwood floors and have a problem. The floor that I am removing is in the kitchen and runs underneath existing cabinets. How do the cut the floorboards where they go under the cabinet? I have a 3 1/2 inch high kick plate at the bottom of the cabinets and cannot fit a sawsall or any other cutting tool that I am aware of underneath the kick plate.
Jul 302005
I installed wide plank (3/4×10″) poplar T&G flooring in my cabin 4 years ago. I finished with three coats of water based **** polyurethane, (no stain). I am disappointed with the floor and plan on re-finishing it. It is dull and heavily marked in high traffic areas. I plan on staining then using oil based ****** gloss polyurethane as a finish. The question I have is this: What type of sanding machine do you suggest I use–orbital or drum? I am nervous about using the drum sander due to it’s aggressiveness on this soft species of wood, however I can’t seem to get much info on the orbital sander and it’s recommended applications, (will the orbital machine remove all of the old polyurethane)? Also what final finishing grit would you recommend?
Jul 302005
Nice site, very informative. I run a small hardwood floor company out of North Carolina in the U.S. I am recently on my own but have been in the business for 15 years. I have purchased a ****** belt sander which runs great but severely digs out the soft grain in the wood, especially red oak, resulting in a rippling effect across the whole floor. Cutting on an angle has no effect and the waves get worse with each successive pass. I have had the machine serviced several times and they can find nothing wrong, also replaced belts, bearings, roller arm, etc.The Waves are not really visible on bare wood but come out when finish or stain is applied and under low angled lighting. I have been able to lesson the problem significantly by using a buffer with a hard plate , followed by screening. This process produces good results but the hard plating ads significant time to the job. any suggestions on this problem would be greatly appreciated as I am some what fanatical about doing a high quality job and although no one else seems to notice these imperfections, I do and it`s driving me up a wall…
