Greetings... This is my first post (as well as my first hardwood floor installation!?!?) and am looking for some guidance. I am installing random width (3", 6", 10", and 12") hard maple flooring.
The wood has been milled with a 1/4" underlap and 5/16" overlap to assure a tight joint. there are 1/8" relief grooves on the 6"+ boards to minimize cupping The wood is dried to around 8% and is in the house acclimating (probably for another 3 or 4 weeks, at least)
It is being installed in new construction, over a 3/4" T&G OSB sub-floor and the house is in the mid-west wher the humidity can get pretty high, but it is air conditioned, so the swings should not be too bad.

My questions have to do with fastening the floor.
1) what nails/nailer should I use ... I want to use standard flooring cleats (1 1/2" L head ?) and I have a pneumatic flooring nailer, but, while I could use this on the "hidden lip, I don't think I can use that to face nail ... can I?
2) what should I use underneath? ... tar paper, resin paper, I've even heard wax paper or newspaper!?!? But I am also considering "nail and glue" which would preclude all of the above "paper". Any reason not to glue? I don't plan on doing this over any time soon:-)

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Slowlearner

Hmmmm...... 5 days and no response..... does that mean that no one else has been crazy enough to do this !?!?

Maybe I should have mentioned, I am planning to use an oil finish (Pure Tung Oil?) ... any thoughts or advice on that; or is that something else no one has had an interest in doing?

I'm starting to wonder whether this was a good idea, ...... but it's too late to turn back now, so I guess I'll have to figure it out on my own.

Since no one else answered...

I was actually looking at doing something very similar, using large planks and just face nailing the whole thing, and then oiling it.

First, a lot of people like Aquabar B for a moisture barrier. I used it on a floor years ago, and it was great stuff. I would recommend putting that down.

As for nails, I used a manual Portanailer. It has barbed nails, and I ended up breaking the wood instead of being able to pull the nails out. That's more than I could say for the staples that were used by a flooring guy that installed some of my hardwood. It was more work, but the action of swinging that hammer really got the boards nice and tight also. It can also do face nailing.

As for oil, I would look at oils *specifically* designed for floors. I was looking at the WOCA oils when I was considering it.

Good luck. Post pics when you're done.