Hello all,

I've always glued down wood, since the majority of the subfloors in my area are concrete I never bothered with staple/nail methods. Well, I had a job a few months back where the lady absolutely did not want me to use glue (she was pregnant, the floor was in the new baby's nursury, and she was convinced the glue fumes would kill everyone in the house ), so since it was a wood sub I purchased a 18 gauge, narrow crown stapler online and put it down. She was well pleased.

Now I've got a job with 7" wide (1/2" thick) engineered plank coming up, also on a wood sub. I'm thinking I can save a little money going the staple route (ok, a lot of money) since I have a shiny new flooring stapler. Would the 18 gauge narrow crowns be sufficient for this wood? I've not had much luck getting info straight from the manufacturer yet on what they actually recommend (they're a local outfit), so I figured I'd throw it out there to see if anyone has installed similar sized wood with similar staples.

Also, which underlayment do you guys prefer? Would red rosin paper be sufficient for this, or should I order some of the actual flooring felt online (no one locally carries it). I used the rosin paper on the nursery job, but it was a new, raised subfloor in a garage over the original slab.

All info is appreciated.

On a 7" width I would figure full spread gluedown, ( if it's an option). If your set on using that new stapler.....I would still glue, using urethane adhesive cartridges. Wouldn't trust that little staple to secure that width plank. Your better off on the extra labor, and the price of those cartridges, going for the full gluedown...