I've decided to replace the carpet in my living room with Ipe (Brazilian Walnut) hardwood. I've ordered 5 inch wide pre-finished. It's expensive, but everything I've read talks about how tough and durable it is. My question, before I've even picked up the stuff, is about installation, which I'm doing myself.

With such a hard wood, am I better off (or do I need to be) pre-drilling holes in the boards or will a nail gun be up to the job? I'll do whatever is best for the job. (In for a penny, in for a pound.) I figured I'd ask here instead rather than finding out the day I start installing!

Thanks for any words of wisdom you might offer.

try it , i have done well with a gun ,set my pressure a little higher , but it worked well , even for us ,alot of things work one way and not the other , and all wood is diffe=rent , so see what happens , worst case you may have to drill , i dont think so but never know
good luck
tommy

Thank you very much for the reply, but it leads me to have another question. What would be normal pressure for a nail gun and how much higher should I notch it?

80 psi is usually normal..


I've heard both sides of this nailing issue concerning the ability to nail Braz.Walnut........

Make sure you test the wood for moisture content, about 6 boards per bundle or box. Make sure the wood contain consistant readings, not 7, 9, 11%..

You've chosen a very hard wood and nailing is not easy.

Have fun.