Damage done with manual nailer during install

Q: We recently had a red oak floor installed. In one area of the floor it appears the installer may have hit the edge of the hardwood a bit hard with the manual nailer. Where the tongue and groove pieces meet, there is some damage.

Could this have been done by the installer ‘butting’ the wood floor together too hard, or just inconsistent wood?

A: The nailer has a “foot” on it designed to precisely fit the edge of a 3/4 thick board. Hitting the nailer too hard will not cause marks unless there is a burr on the nailer foot. Otherwise, could it be defects in the board? You say it is only in one area, which sounds more like some bad boards that came right out of the box he happened to be working from at that point.

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