Hi everyone, I finally laid my first row of 5/8" bamboo down today, face nailing with a 16 gauge nailer and then blind nailer the tounge with it. Worked great.


Before I started the second row, using the big flooring nailer (Mastercraft 3-in-1 flooring nailer), I tried a board testing it elsewhere on the floor. I first tried with L cleats (16Gauge) 2" and it really made a mess of the tounge to the point you couldnt put another board on.


I then tried the 15.5 Guage 2" staples and played with the pressure a little bit, after three full boards of testing I got the following results. Does this seem ok? It still seems to crack the tounge slightly, but I can put the next board on and tap it in with the tapping block.
















Also have a couple more questions:



1.) With the size of these boards being 3ft long, and the manufactures sheet saying to space staples/nails 10-12 inchs apart and 4-6 inches from the end. I'm only going to get 2-3 staples a board, does that seem right?

2.) If I have a staple that doesnt fully go in, what can I do to avoid having to tear it out?

3.) Is 2" staples to long? I have 3/8 plywood ontop of cross diagonal 5/8" boards I think for subfloor



Thanks guys, slowly getting this done, enjoying learning it as I go.

Your going with too long of a fastener for a 5/8 plank, especially Bamboo. This is resulting in too high of a psi to sink the fastener,(can't avoid splitting). I would go 1 1/2" at around 75-80 psi, you'll get plenty of grab.

The manufacturer says how many fasteners? On that product I would go 6" to 8", and 3" from the ends, even considering the fastener gauge.

Thanks for the information, I will go pick up some 1 1/2" staples then. Your saying there should be no crack in the touch then when I staple then correct?

What bamboo?
Woven Stranded?
verticle?
Engineered?
Horizontal?

Let's put it this way ... I have installed 1000's of feet of Morning Star & Teregren Horrizontal Bamboo with 1 1/2" staples using a Bostitch M111 with no splitting at 75-80 psi. While I have no idea of the density of your bamboo,( it does look like stained horrizontal in the pictures), this setup has worked for me. ( This setup also works on Vertical as well, but not Strand), Strand is too hard for staples, you would have been bending every one of them.
Rule of thumb is that when your having splitting issues, dial down the psi. Since you cant dial down the psi and sink that 2" staple without splitting, I am suggesting trying what has worked for me, a more than adequate length staple at a lower psi.

hard to tell from the photos, but that looks like it may be engineered with stranded veneer.
If so, stapling would work, just like the Floorologist explained.

Dryness statement I don't understand as all wood and grass flooring should be tested for moisture to insure the material is acclimated to the environment it is to be installed.
Engineered can be tested from the back.
Bamboo needs to be in the room with packages and plastic opened to acclimate properly.

"Dryness" does not pertain to the last post, and edited.

I am seeing large size knots, usually present in Horizontal, not Strand.

I have found that quite a few Bamboo manufacturers require acclimation in the boxes, with the plastic wrap intact.

Sorry rayfo1, for straying off thread topic.

Sorry Ray but Floorologist is correct. It definitely looks like Horizontal with a dark stain. And some manufacturers say to leave them in the boxes and plastic while others say to open everything. There is no consistency. On the other hand another installer I know just bought a new meter and it wasn't reading moistur in a certain bamboo as his old one or mine and the maker of the meter said they set it up by ons bamboo and they are all different from one another.

Are my eyes deceiving me?
I swear I see knots in the sub-floor, not the bamboo.
I also see layers of veneer indicating an engineered product.

What was the manufacturer and style of this bamboo?

Looks alot like multiple shots in the same area and within 1 inch.

I see 3 Horrizontal Bamboo knots. Not 1 knot in the subfloor.

It does look like engineered as we know it. Won't get into the conversation of the typical bamboo being engineered or solid.

The poor guy just wants to know how to nail it

Always test it, seen it with condensation in package, MC 18% +
Hmmm but well what if the environment is to dry for the bamboo? What should an installer and home owner do to keep the proper milled moisture content in the bamboo and keep it from cracking and checking? Bamboo 101

To know how to properly nail a floor, I would think the first step would be to know what material ya'll are working with.

Yes, that would be one of the first important steps. Hmm... Well I ponder "ya'll" had it figured out purdy dern good. There are 5 pictures of the product posted. We knew it was 5/8" Bamboo, cross grain construction. We knew it wasn't Strand. Uh...we knew it was Horizontal and not Vertical. Uhh......That pretty much takes care of it. Either way Horizontal, Vertical, even Strand engineered construction, they all would call for the same fastening. Please tell me if I'm missing something, or possibly confused? I hope, I mean, I'm pretty sure its not a stone look a like, or vinyl, or laminate

Or....actually know how to nail a floor...ya know...that comes with experience.