For basements, most flooring manufacturers recommend using engineered wood. Furthermore, the concrete also has to be completely dry — even before installing a subfloor. Carpeting, paint and other materials must be removed as well, and you may need a concrete grinder to prep first. After new concrete is laid, it can take more than a month for the moisture to evaporate from concrete, and moisture levels must be tested prior to installation.
Before laying hardwood flooring over concrete, youll need a moisture barrier between the two surfaces. For solid hardwood over concrete, its recommended to use a wood subfloor, which can raise the overall floor level. Something to consider, as clearance for doorways and other items may change. You are better off vacuuming the dirt that will be found under the carpet and padding as any sweeping will certainly leave dust scattered everywhere. Tools used to cut, such as an electric miter saw can throw off dust even if a small dust collection bag is present.
Which is better? The consensus points towards staples but some professionals go the other direction more below. A cleat is a nail with the head shaped like an L or sometimes a T. They come in For thin floors, the lightweight gauge is best. To give you a better idea, you can see a handy cleat depth chart here. The shaft of a cleat has barbs, so it can dig into and hold the wood.
A short part at the top of the cleat is smooth. It allows for the expansion of the wood without cracking the tongue. Most contractors opt for the holding power of gauge cleats for hardwood floors. Its an excellent all-purpose fastener. Check with the flooring manufacturer for recommendations. The other fastener is a staple. Being U shaped, they have two points of contact instead of one.
They tend to hold boards down tighter than cleats. It can become a problem in areas with high fluctuations in humidity as they dont allow for as much movement.
The lack of expansion could crack the wood at the tongue. Its OK to use staples when installing a medium density wood like oak, but they are not the best choice for tough wood like maple or Brazilian cherry.
There comes a point when the nailer will not fit near walls and we resort to the finish nailer again. Pneumatic nailers also exert a good amount of force keeping those boards together too.
For stubborn boards there are several options. One can either do it by hand with a long handled screwdriver, or invest in a tool called the power jack shown on the right. When nailing the final courses do so by blind nailing or nailing into the groove at a 45 degree angle.
Both are commonly used for installing baseboard , chair rail, door and window casing, crown molding, and door frames. One advantage to gauge nails is that they are collated at an angle, which allows the nose of the nailer to reach into tighter spaces. Brad nailers use smaller 18 — gauge nails up to 2 inches long. We usually tack the baseboard in place with one nail at each side, and then find the studs with a stud sensor, marking on the baseboard as we go. This will depend on the hardness of the wood, its thickness and whether it is solid or engineered.
The recommended gauges don't refer to standard construction nails, but to cleat nails designed specifically for use on hardwood flooring. Cleat nails are typically installed with an automatic nailing gun to speed the process and avoid hammer or mallet marks on the floor. Both 16 gauge finish nails and 18 gauge brad nails can be used for installing baseboards.
The rule of thumb says that the thicker the nail is, the greater the holding power will be. Conversely, a thinner nail will provide lesser holding strength. It is also clear that the lower the gauge size, the thicker the nail a nailer shoots. Therefore, to put the pieces in place, it should be obvious that baseboards installed with a 16 gauge nailer will have more holding power. This is because of the bigger trim nails of such finish nailers. However, there is a chance of splitting the baseboard when using the 16 gauge finish nailer.
These hefty nails may also leave bigger and uglier holes behind that will need filling. Therefore, when installing delicate and thinner baseboards, you should go for the 18 gauge route. Any nail gun will shoot only its designated nail size. Therefore, long story short, a 16 gauge nailer cannot shoot 18 gauge brad nails. As explained before, gauge size refers to the number of nails that can be fitted in a straight line in 1 inch. The 18 gauge nails are thinner compared to the 16 gauge nails. As a consequence, the 18 gauge nails will not fit into 16 gauge nailers as they are designed to fit only 16 gauge nails.
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