Flooring Staples Vs Cleat Nails

If you are using a pneumatic nailer or stapler make sure the air pressure is set correctly for the particular wood.

Flooring staples vs cleat nails. Staples are made from steel just like cleats. A cleat nail offers a sharp rigid body to grip the sub floor firmly. With staples you get what you pay for. The tongues have been known to crack off and as a result the boards will tilt and squeak.

When you follow the proper procedure for your fastener of choice you will get the best results possible. A staple will give a stronger less forgiving hold because of its two pronged construction. Nails and staples differ in their holding properties. Pros and cons of using cleats for hardwood floor installation.

Some hardwood flooring installers insist on using traditional cleats while others only use staples to secure solid hardwood. 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. It also features a smooth portion of its body which allows for seasonal expansion and contraction of the flooring. The big drawback with cleat nails is their cost which at 65 to 85 per 5000 is about twice the price of staples.

Nails are available for installing engineered flooring. Use only the flooring nail also called cleats that were designed for this purpose. Most cleat nails are 16 ga. Or 18 ga but thinner 20 ga.

The staples hold the hardwood too well and don t allow the wood its normal seasonal changes. Finding the optimum fastener can be confusing. 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. As to the staples do not staple any hardwood floor.

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. With staples you ll also have to nail in through the face thereby leaving marks all over the floor and ruining the appearance. 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. Nails allow for a more natural expansion and contraction of the hardwood floorboards with fewer problems.