I am planning to install 3/4 -3 1/2 Birch on 1 3/8 subfloor two layers of plywood and I have some basic questions.

1. If I install at a 45 degree should I start in the center or one corner?
2. If I start in the center do I nail in the grove or the tongue? Will I have to do both?
3. Should I follow the longest diagonal or the shortest?
4. Should I put a layer of building paper down first?
5. Is it ok to use a brad nailer with two inch nails or staples? Spacing? 6-8 inches?
6. When getting to the corners should you also glue the shorter pieces?
7. How can you insure that you stay on the diagonal?
8. If I extend into another room do I just continue with the the course into the other room?
9. Should I extend the first course into the other room?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

1. Center
2. place a temporray rown face nail it (on top of the boards, with a bran nailer) place next row in and staple into the tounges, when you are done with that side, remove temp rows and place "spline" into the exposed grove, a search of "spline or slip tounge" will explain all of that in depth.
3. Longest
4. 15 lb asphault paper, aqua bar, foprtified HWD 15 are all approved underlayment "papers"
5. Brad nailer 15 gauge nails, 8-10 apart for first row's then flooring stapler/cleat nailer every 8-10 inches also
6. I recomend glueing the "triangles" you will make, usually the last 8 boards as well as blind nailing/face nailing
7. you have to check it every few rows with a chalk line to make sure you are without any bows, I usually face nail the ends of the boards (close enough to the walls where trim will hide the nail holes) takes longer but ensures the floor wont bow on you
8. continue the course into the other rooms, again using temporary boards like you did for your first row
9. depends on your layout, pics would help

Answer to #5 indicates:

5. Brad nailer 15 gauge nails, 8-10 apart for first row's then flooring stapler/cleat nailer every 8-10 inches also

Does this mean BOTH 15 guage nails AND flooring staples in the first row?

5. Don't use a brad nailer to install your floor! Use the proper flooring nailer or stapler, which ever the manufacturer of the wood flooring recommends.

Some illustration help. I hope to have some actual pics one day...





Keeping floors straight at angled walls



5. Nail and staple to be safe.

Brad nailers are a common hardwood flooring tool. Maybe the term should be trim nailer with proper guaged nails.

Funny thing about pneumatic nailer manufacturers terminology. Senco calls all their finish nails "brads", even the DA 15 gauge nails are called brads. Then they call the headless nails "pins". So their various names for their pneumatic finish nailers are brad nailers, pin nailers, finish nailers, trim nailers and so on. Bostitch makes the determination between a finish nailer and a brad nailer with a gun using 15 or 16 gauge being a finish nailer and a gun using 18 gauge being a brad nailer. They also have their pin nailer as well. So, I prefer the Bostitch terminology because it differentiates between the nail head designs. Why Senco would call their 15 gauge, larger head DA finish nail a "brad" is anyone's guess. So, in Gary's World, any pneumatic nailer using a 15 or 16 gauge finish nail is called a pneumatic finish nailer. Any pneumatic nailer using 18 to 22 gauge small headed nails is called a brad nailer. And any pneumatic nailer using 22 gauge and higher headless nails is called a pin nailer. Just my take on it.