Hi

What is pyramid racking and how is it done?

Pyramid is not the same as stair stepping but i don't know how to verbally explain it. About the best I can offer is you are working laterally and vertically at the same time without having any repeating patterns going on.

One day I intend to take some photos showing what "I" call a pyramid.

Jerry explained it pretty well but I'll try to elaborate.

For example using 3/4" x 2&1/4" solid strip flooring. Assume the room to be racked is a basic rectangle shape with the flooring be laid the long direction. After establishing the first starter course/row/run, one COULD just continue to build each row of flooring individually, staggering the end butts, making the last board fit by cutting it to length and then nailing that row down. This is the way I used to do it many years ago. The "pyramid" racking way builds multiple rows, typically starting from the left and working right. The installer chooses random lengths to correctly stagger end butts and not create H joints. Doing it this way, you build many rows simultaneously while working left to right. One does not keep the wood tight side to side but loose to allow easy movement to enable one to nail it down. You do need to keep it tight end to end. Then you mark all the boards to be cut and take them to the saw, come back and put them in their proper place.

You know the term, a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, here's a youtube video of a guy nailing down what appears to be strip oak flooring in "shorts", meaning the boards are mostly short. It gives you an idea of how the racking and pyramid nailing works to increase production. Notice all the wood is already "racked out" (laid out and cut to length). The installer is now nailing in a pyramid fashion. The only thing "wrong" I noticed was how close the butts joints are but that could be because all the flooring looks to be shorts. And when he runs out of staples, he has to walk over to the box and get more. I wear an apron that holds a dozen or more clips of staples so I don't have to do that. Anyway, look at this video. Hope it answers your question.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwuF7C80 ... re=related

Here's another showing an installer nailing down a "racked out" floor. In this video, he's doing a good job but by using short swings and holding the mallet so close to the head, I'll bet he has the air pressure way up to allow for a light hit on the actuator and uses the air pressure to drive the boards tight. This can result in excessive staple penetration into the tongue and cause excessive tongue split. He also has to run to the box to get more staples. Don't understand how these guys haven't figured out to use a nail pouch. But this video gives you another pretty good example of nailing down a racked out floor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jA9BRSfYaw

Stunning videos.

Regarding the pyramid racking:

I would be afraid to try this because once a row is started, if one of the other boards in the row has to be culled, and I could not find an identical length, changing the remaining board lengths in the row may foul up my staggering of end lines for all of the subsequent rows. It seems to me it may start a chain reaction of ends too close together.

But I guess any racking involving laying out several rows would have the same risk, and it sound like most of the folks on this board who obviously know what they are doing, rack.

I guess that is both the point and the difference. Folks on this discussion board know what they are doing. I assume an experienced eye can spot bad boards and cull them while laying out the rack. I usually only notice a problem board when I hold the board up against my 6 foot level and can see sunlight under one or both ends or under the middle of the board. Sometimes even if a board passes my sunlight test, I end up having a problem with it because the on the tongue side one or both ends or another part of the board ends up not being straight.

Regarding the speed in the videos:

I am afraid to position the boards by hitting them with the mallet, for fear of damaging them. But I guess after I place them by hand I hit them as hard to snug them up to the neighboring row before nailing them. But then I am hitting only the tongue. It looks to me like these guys may risk hitting the boards on the surface. But again, I guess they are experienced enough not to. Or else my precious boards may be sturdier than I think. Although the first guy is working with unfinished wood, so maybe any dents will get sanded out?

I am afraid to slide my air gun along the board between staples. I lift it back away from the board and then reposition it about 8 inches along before whacking it for the next staple.

Wow! I had not realized how much experience makes a difference in the physical speed of this process. I assumed most of the speed difference of the experienced people was in the better planning and thinking through of the process. Looks like it is both that and physical skill speed. Wow! I should have known better.

I think I will try racking maybe three or four rows, but otherwise stick to my fewer than ten rows a day plodding along. I have only my own house to do and after having seen the videos have now officially abandoned any pie in the sky fantasy of perhaps taking this up on a for hire basis.

Ha, you guys must really struggle to avoid laughing out loud every time you are estimating a job and hear some do it yourselfer such as me try to negotiate price by suggesting we are considering "saving some money by doing it ourselves". Ha. Ha. I started my living room and hallway (about 500 square feet) last June and expect to finish it this month. Figured I could do it in a week or two. Ha Ha. This project has cost me weeks of income. My friends, knowing I am not "handy" said I would be crazy to give it a shot, and I think I have proven their point. Ha Ha Ha. Oh well, my wife and I like the floor so far and at least I have the personal pride of knowing I laid it myself. And yes, you have concluded correctly from the references to "wife" and "started ... last June", my wife is deserving of sainthood.

Boy, those videos were eye openers.

Yep, we look out for them prior to installing them.



If you'll notice, both installers are using mallets with soft white rubber heads. I prefer my Lixie mallet that has a very soft brown end. I can whack the crap out of the edge of a board and not damage it. But I am more careful with prefinished flooring, especially engineered. The soft white mallets caps can leave scuffs but those usually can be buffed off easily on quality finished flooring.



Sliding is better. Not only is it faster but you run less risk off the shoe not being properly located. There's not an installer alive who hasn't misaligned the nailer shoe and drove a staple through the face of the flooring. I just did that last Tuesday and had to remove a nice long board. It comes with practice.



It's a workout, to be sure. My T-shirt is usually soaking wet in about an hour of "banging them in".

I could never keep up with those guys, nor would I want to try. I always left that staple box on the other side of the room so I could stretch out a little. Pneumatic is definately the way to go, but it gets to my back being in the same position all the time. Different strokes.

Soaked T-shirt? Remember those manual days Gary? Back when acclimation wasn't in the manual, or should I say few paid attention to it; or at least some guys I've known over the years. My feet always looked like I had been in a swimming pool all day long.

From the looks of how low his pants are hanging... if he carried any extra staples it might just pull them all the way down to his ankles.

Something about that first video scares me - it's the image I have of paying one guy $5 a square to install, then he farms it out to some kid for $100 a room and goes off to sell the next job.

Neither video shows the way I do it. I'll just have to make my own presentation one day . I keep my lap overs a lot farther apart working up.

Speaking of videos ... this is one of my favorites to watch...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YykQu04Xcns&feature=related

That music always gets me going ...... I'm ready to head out the door right now, except its only 4:20 AM

You are surely an early riser Jerry.

I've seen that one before. I'm suprised he hasn't had an accident the way he works that sliding compound saw.

Good video - I saw that one last night. That guy has a lot of extra energy to burn! All the flip-flipping of the engineered flooring made me dizzy...

I wake up every day about 3:00 AM ... been that way for many years.

I'm trying to figure out what's on his arm .... a pencil holder or is he taking his temperature?

Oh my gosh and I thought I was bad. Usually 4 AM here if I have work to do. Btw, I'm going to through your area the second week of May. Going up I-81 to DC, dropping my mother off at her brothers home. Maybe we can do lunch or I'll stay in Roanoke for a night. Must be something to do or see there?

So, to get 8 hours of sleep a night, you go to bed at 7 pm?

I head for bed around nine, 6 hours is all I can sleep.

Ken, stay right here at my house partner. I got a big leather sleep sofa that is real comfy .

Definitely call me, I would enjoy meeting you and we'll take you out to eat somewhere.