Finish nailer Choice

[sunspot]

My Wife and I are installing a wood floor in our house. I'm using engineered pre-finished planks 1/2" by 5".

I am using a Bostitch MIIIFS stapler as my main tool but it will not fit in the first and last row.

I'm shopping for a finish nailer and I have come across 2 types. A straight and angle nailer. Per the Portor-Cable web site, straight and angle describes the nail itself, not the nailer.

Would someone tell me what the difference is to the consumer (me)?

Product Compare

 

[AlanB]

I am not positive, but the difference between those two from what I see, is how you open the face when you get a Jam.

The side opening I bet is no tool, the front I bet you need an allen wrench to pull the nose face off and clear the bent and mangled nails.

When you said straight and angled I would tell you to get a straight to get in corners better but the comparison shows two angle nailers too me.

I would pick the one that nails were available for easily locally.

I have the HF model and have been very happy with it and have done several bamboo floors.

 

[sunspot]

Alan, What do you use for the end pieces? Finish nails, brads or what? What guage? Sorry for all the questions, I'm new at this.

BTW, how do you like the bamboo? I was thinking of using vertical ply bamboo flooring.

 

[ktm250rider]

If you have the budget and are going to be doing more trim type jobs, Id look at a Paslode or similar cordless finish nailer. I have a porter cable 2 1/2 angle gun and a 1 1/2 straight brad nailer. Its a pain carting the compressor and hose around the house when doing finish work.
OH yeah, the ones you are looking at just look like they take different nails. Never heard of a "DA" nail. Those are both angle nailers due to the angle of the nail slot in relation to the hammer.

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

I used a cleat nailer until I was too close to the wall, then switched to a 16 ga finish nailer shooting though the tongues until the last course, which I fired through the top of the plank to set. The row of nails is covered by my 3/4" thick trim.

My floor is a medium carbon vertical bamboo, and it looks great! (or so our holiday guests told me)

The difference between straight & angled finish nailers in the angle of the tray the nails rest in compared to the direction the nail shoots. In a straight gun, the nail tray is parallel to the floor when shooting nails straight down. In an angled gun, the tray is angled up and away from the floor. (like a framing nailer, almost all of which are angled)

 

[shvl73]

Never heard of a "DA" nail.

Senco used to be a popular finish nailer. They had a brad head finish nail when a lot of the competition used T-head finish nails. All of their finish nails started with the DA prefix, with the exception of the 8d using a UA prefix. I believe the UA series 8d were a heavier guage. Possibly they are stating that it will use Senco compatible nails?

 

[2manyrocks]

The manufacturers change models so much that it's hard to give advice. You might look at this video comparison: Videos - Fine Homebuilding

 

[sunspot]

There seems to be 2 types of finish nailers that use 2 different nails.

The nail magazine can be straight or angled and depending on the model, it can use straight or angled headed nails.

So I can have a straight magazine tool that uses a straight nail or an angled head nail but they would be different model guns.

Same deal with an angled magazine gun. Straight or angle nail but not interchangeable.

What is the angle head nail used for? Does it fire into the wood at an angle so the nail head is level to the wood?

 

[EddieWalker]

Dana

I've had three Porter nail guns. A finish nailer, a brad nailer and a staple gun. All failed on me fairly quickly and I replaced them with Rigid from Home Depot. I'm not really a fan of Rigid or Home Depot brand tools, but I needed the brad nailer right away and Home Depot was the closest to me. They had Porter Cable, Bostic and Rigid to choose from. I've been very pleased and even impressed with the Rigid.

When my Porter Cable stapler died, I replaced it with the Rigid model. I'm also very pleased with it. When the finish nailer died, I just tossed it out and have been using nails and a hammer for those rare times that I want to use finish nails.

For small jobs or tight locations, I've found it's faster and easier to just get out the hammer and do it the old fashioned way. I just finished a laundry room remodel and re-used the original base boards. It just took a few minutes to put them back on with finish nails and my hammer.

Can you do those spots with a hammer and finish nail instead of spending the money on another nailer that you might not even need or have a use for after this project is over?

Eddie

 

[dynasim]

I just put in 1800 sqft of 5" X 3/4 hard maple, and had the edge problem. I used a harbor freight 15 gauge nailer. For limited use, it works quite well, and it was 60 bucks. I say for limited use just because I haven't used it intensively, not because it wasn't built well or I had problems.

However, if I was to do it again, I would use finish screws, as they help pull the wood down. You have to predrill the flooring, but it is quick, and very secure. The heads are nearly as invisible as finish nails.

Chris