How to nail trim

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Q: 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 re: how to nail trim, and what size and type of nails or staples should it handle?

A: I use a Stanley trim nailer to finish up near the walls, but there is still a row or 2 that need to be blind nailed into the tongue until I can use the nailer again on the floor face near the wall. It can use, I think, 1 1/2 up to 2″ at 15 gauge. Powernail Company makes a nailer that can get very close, and is just for finishing up near the walls. Check out their web site. Probably, www.powernail.com.

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