I've laid my new floor except for the last 5 rows. The air nailer can no longer be used because the wall prevents me from striking it with the mallet. How do I go about securing my last 5 rows of boards without face nailing them?

you need to face nail them.iif its 3/4" then that is the only method. try to blind nail them by hand up to a point if its possible. if your working with a thinner product than 3/4" you may be able to glue the last rows..

If you have a air finish nailer, you can get another couple of rows toenailing with that. After that, you will have to face nail if it is solid. If it's engineered, you could glue it down. Someguys glue down solid in the final rows but directions don't call for that; they call for face nailing and puttying the holes. If you don't have an air gun, you'll have to pre drill and hand nail with #7 or 8 d finish nails (the way it was done when I was just starting out)

Or back in the days before they used pneumatic nailers, there was the manual top nailer from manufacturers like Powernail. Geesh did that make an ugly hole. Then if you didn't whack it hard enough where the flooring cleat didn't set, it was always a bugger to set by hand.

I'll never forget trying the side nail some powercleats into 3/4" White Oak. I had only been in the business a few months and the guy who taught me the trade wouldn't say anything after I had a pile of bent nails scattered all over the place. He rarely said anything period--unless you screwed up. We never did predrill--good thing that was before the days of Brazilian Cherry. I couldn't imagine trying to hand nail that stuff.

First of all,you should lay out long,straight boards for those 5 rows.(alittle late for that tip now)

You can toe-nail 2 ,maybe 3 of those rows by hand. Use either 8d finish nails or,my favorite,6d casing nails. Nailing into the joists will draw up the cracks better.

Depending on the species,you might have to pre-drill. You can use one of your nails instead of a bit. If it is oak or something softer,you can just drizzle some 3in1 oil on them and shake them up. It won't affect holding power unless you submerge them or something.

A stick-nailer is fastest. I don't recommend using a brad-nailer,though.

Has anyone tried using a sub-floor adhesive like liquid nails along with face nailing on 3/4" solid close to walls? Would this eliminate the potential for squeeks?

How many times have you walked on the last 5 rows next to a wall, that made them squeak? I don't hug the walls as I walk around my home!

Use a finish or brad nailer and if you paranoid, by all means go ahead and glue them too, if it makes you sleep better.

Perry - Thanks for the constructive comments. Your an "ace".

[quote="Madoco"]Perry - Thanks for the constructive comments. Your an "ace".
quote]

OUCH! if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck , its a duck.

Now, dag nabbit! I knew I should have put some of them smilely faces in that last post.

Now I done went and got someone mad.


Quack, Quack, Quack.