Could use your help guys. What equipment works best for you and why? Standard nailers or staplers with an adapter plate placed on the boot of the tool to accomodate the 5/8"thickness? Problems with splitting using some types of fasteners? Length? Guage? By now many of you know I'm based in Florida so we don't see as many naildowns as we do gluedowns. In the past whenever it was bamboo on a wood subfloor, the gluedown method seemed to be the choice. Don't know whey, as it's always been that way.

Ken,
I prefer to nail down floors whenever possible as I'm faster at that. I'll admit that gluing is superior in some circumstances. As far as bamboo is concerned, I have had great success in nailing down 5/8" Bamtex unfinished 3 ply with my Stanley-Bostich M111 FS using either 2" or 1&1/2" staples. I take the shoe off the nailer and put a piece of cardboard between the base and the shoe as a shim so it aligns with the tongue profile. I haven't noticed any splitting and my floors feel real solid with no squeeks. A while back, I tried nailing down Plyboo 1/2" with a Powernail model 200 cleat nailer. The result was some popping noises and a few squeeks . I used the tools correctly and nailed 6" oc. I think the thinner stuff needs to be glued.

I've had no problem using a Spoptnail gun, with 1 3/8 or 1 1/2 inch staples, depending on what thickness the floor is. No problems, no pops. Sometimes that big staple may just be too much for a laminated/engineered product. I think it may cause separation, but what the heck do I know?

PS I'm talking the stuff that is 5/8 or so...

Hey SK, Don't be so self-deprecating. You know what you know! Your opinion is as valid as anyone else's and we can all learn from each other. As far as using different nailing systems, when I am trying a new product, I usually first do some test nailings to determine if my nailing procedure will work properly. I determine if I'm getting tongue split, board split, getting the fasteners seated properly in the "nailing pocket", test for best pressure, how far the fasteners extend past the bottom of the board, etc. If the test board doesn't cut it, I continue to look for a better way.

Yeah, I also know better then to type without my glasses on... That is Spotnail!

I agree Gary!! Over the years Steve has brought up many good ideas from other online forums. I kinda thought that Stanley-Bostich M111 FS would have too large of a staple(guage) to work with the 5/8" bamboo.

So cleat nailers look like a no-no? I can't imagine how some DIY'ers work with bamboo--there are never any instruction flyers that come with the stuff--or at least I have yet to see any.

Thanks for the imput [/quote]

I wouldn't give up on the cleat nailers; I think they are better then a staple in some case's. Particularly one, where splitting the tongue is a problem. Trouble is, I don't have enough shoulder left to use the manual, and, my first air Powernailer was fraught with problems....I think cleats, in a product thick enough to use them, are almost failsafe. BUT, I haven't tried the "E" cleats. I did see two jobs, that were F'd up from a guy who had one. Maybe it was the adjustment, maybe not, but it scared me clear.
Also, thanks for having my back, guys... I appreciate it. Sometimes it's better if you're not too smart. You know what I mean.

I own a Powernailer Model 200 that uses the E cleats. In fact, I bought it specifically to nail down a 1/2" Plyboo brand bamboo floor. It sucks! It is slow and the cleats did not fasten the floor down as well as staples! How do I know? A few weeks ago, I ran across a crew stapling down the same Plyboo floor with a floor runner. Guess what, no squeeks or popping sounds; unlike the floor I nailed with the Powernail 200. Anyone want to buy a hardly used Powernail model 200 cheap? I don't dig cleats and that is what I started on. I'll take my Bostitch M111 FS and secure any floor better than a cleat nailer, including an engineered floor. Done it many times!

Speaking of nailers and engineered floors, a few years back, Harris-Tarkett introduced a shoe that allowed you to staple down their Longstrip floors with a Stanley-Bostitch M111 FS using 15 gauge, 1/2" crown, 1&1/2" leg staples. Now anyone who has installed their Longstrip knows it is 9/16" thick engineered with a 1/8" veneered top hardwood layer. I installed this floor using their shoe and my M111 FS and it worked FLAWLESSLY. No dimples on top, no tongue split, no damage to edge, no squeeks. If you know what you're doing, you can nail down engineered with the M111 FS. You do have to be careful about the top veneer layer lifting and dimpling. Cleats just don't have as much holding power but would be better in a high humidity environment with solid as they will release a little if the floor wants to move.

Hi, I'm new to the discussion board and flooring installation. I just purchased a lot of 5/8" Vertical Grain bamboo that I plan on installing, and I'm trying to figure out what kind of fastener to use. I read the previous posts and they're really informative. However, I've been reading so much that I may have just complicated my ability to purchase. I was hoping that maybe someone could suggest both the better method and preferred tool of installation. By method I mean choice of Nail, Cleat (E, T, L) or Nail. A few manufacture posts out there state that Staples hinder expansion and cause splitting of the tongue. A few others state the use of stainless cleats. A few others state that Cleats are the same as nails. However, I know from removing my old oak floor that they sure look funny and different from what I removed, which looked more like 2" finishing nails.

My flooring company has posted the following information with regard to what they require for installation. "2" long flooring nails or 2"/15 gauge flooring staples with a _" crown should be used with a pneumatic or mechanically operated floor nailer." What they don't specify is if a cleat is an acceptable means of anchoring nor do they state type of machine.

At first I thought that I'd just run off to Lowes or Home Depot and purchase one of theirs, but that was before I started reading. So then I discovered that every manufacture (PrimaTech, Powernail, Porta-Nailer, PorterCable, Bostitch, and Eagle are making their product seem like the best. I also found that the pneumatic ones were a bit cost prohibitive with the do it yourself in mind. I'd just rather buy and own then rent and not own. Through all this research I did discover that Porta-Cable had probably the best bang for the buck that would do the job. Their model 403 kit looks like it would do everything at a reasonable cost. Only now I'm hesitant in purchasing it because I'm starting to think that maybe I should use the staple method instead. All of this brings me to all of you. I figure it's better to get feedback from those whom are using the tools as opposed to those whom only want my money.

I'd really appreciate it if someone could offer me some hard earned wisdom on what I should consider as far as a tool and what kind of fastener to use too.
Thank you,
Derrick

IMHO, the Bostitch M111 FS is the best flooring nailer available. They started the pneumatic flooring tool developement back in early 80's. There are other brands but none better when you factor everything in. I have successfully stapled down 5/8" bamboo flooring on five different jobs and never got a call back for noisy floors. Since you say the flooring company says to use 15 gauge flooring staples with 2" legs, I would go with that. There is no reason to concern yourself about "hindering expansion" as that vertical grain bamboo isn't going to move unless it's flooded; very stable. Go ahead and get a manual cleat nailer if you like to beat on a tool all day; you'll save a few bucks but you will earn it with a manual nailer. Why not buy a good tool and sell it after you're done? Many people do that. If you prefer to use cleats, Bostitch also makes a model that uses those. Forget that crap about stainless steel! Use stock staples or cleats made for your nailer. You could also glue it down and that would work quite well also and you don't have to worry about splitting tongues or the cost of the nailer 'cause you'll spend all that money on the glue! Me; I'd get the Bostitch and try nailing some of it down. If your not happy with the results, return the tool and try something else. Good luck!

Thank you for your suggestion. I think I might just do as you suggested. I really appreciate your time and input.
Thank you,
Derrick

Buy and sell it on Ebay. It's more like a cheap rental. I see it happening frequently.