I will be face nailing 7-8" wide, 3/4" thick, reclaimed fir planks (no t&g) onto 3/4" plywood.

Will a standard ring shank 1 3/8" nail work? Any specific suggestions?

Secondly, can I use a standard pneumatic nail gun or do I need something more specialized?

I welcome the sight of nail heads on the floors but nail guns have a tendency to bury the nails into the wood. Is the only way to avoid the over burial to hand hammer the nails?

Thanks,

Yes, Ring shank commons are the nail of choice for face nailing, considering structural stability( when your not gluing as well).


Re: Nailgun- I dont believe you'll be able to dial in the psi for any type of exacting consistency. Nails will be countersunk to slightly different depths, depending on the density of the portion of the plank that your firing into. Also, I think you'll be fighting nail angles. Even if you dial the psi down, to where the heads are above the surface, then finish off with a hammer, I think the angle of the nails still may be a problem.

IMO your best results will be hand nailing, with a smooth face hammer. This is how face nail installations were done traditionally( ofcoarse there were no pneumatics). But I also believe a hammered nail is a firmer method of fastening, over shooting.

Its going to be a challenge to not dent the fir. You can about blow on fir and leave a dent. It sounds like a rustic floor so I wouldnt kill myself over leaving a few hammer marks.

Thanks, guys. I really appreciate your advice.