Confirmed that the new stapler will not arrive until Thursday. I guess that I will hand-nail more flooring tomorrow.

The Thomasville rep did call back. She went through the standard things that I should look at to ensure that I am stapling correctly -

Stapler PSI set at 75 (though this will vary by brand of stapler)
Ensure that I have the correct shoe on the stapler for 1/2" flooring (I do)

I am a rookie at this and may have something not set correctly, but I have double-checked everything and still feel that the problem is not with me or the tool settings.

I will follow the collective wisdom on this board and see what the 18 gauge 1 1/2" staple does for me. If no dimpling, then I will be pretty confident that it is the 15.5 gauge staple that is the issue. I will report back this weekend with an update.

I received the new stapler on Thursday, but have not had a chance to use it until today. It appears to work great. Since it is trigger operated, it is much easier to use than the larger stapler with the hammer.

I ended up hand-nailing about 150-200 SF while waiting on the new stapler. Everything is looking good so far. I will try and get pictures up this weekend.

Thanks to everyone for their help on this.

Hi KY-Mike. I am installing the same flooring as you 1/2 thomasville engineered flooring. I saw your post and have ordered the Bostitch 18 gauge 1 1/2 inch stapler (sx150-bhf-2). It's on the way. One thing I noticed was that it says "Convertible tool-free adjustable foot adapts to 1/4" to 7/16" engineered flooring" We have 1/2". Was that a problem for you? Also, how did your floor turn out? Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated. I am installing the engineered flooring over 3/4" plywood. Thanks. Mike

Unless they have come out with a new FloorRunner, stapler. Bostich 18 gauge, only shoots a 1" long staple. It may work, but you will have to change the angle of the staple, so it shoot steeper, and not so much angle, in order to get good penetration into the wood substrate.

I like my HighPro AS-4090 It is capable of shooting a 18 gauge 1½" staple. Spotnails also has a gun that shoots a longer staple.

I did a google and came up with this. It shoots a 1-1/8" staple. It is a newer gun. It is orange, instead of yellow.




Bostitch Laminated Tongue and Groove Flooring Stapler - SX150-BHF-2

- Features and Benefits Shipped from the factory set for BRUCE "Natural Reflections" flooring Precisely drives staples at proper angle and depth Magnesium housing for extreme durability Oil Free operation Compact and lightweight for easy maneuverability Molded rubber comfort grip designed to last longer Ultra quiet rear exhaust Sequential trip - Product Details Height 9 in.,244.6mm Length 10 in.,257.3mm Width 3 in.,76.2mm Weight 3.2 lbs, 1.45 kilos - Application Installation of Bruce® Natural Reflections and 9/16 in. thick laminated tongue and groove flooring

I verified that it shoots a 1 1/2" narrow crown 18 gauge staple. It has worked great for me. I wish that I had it from the beginning of my project. The base does not sit flat with the 1/2" flooring, but that was not a problem for me. I just tilted it forward a bit so that the section of the base on the subfloor was flat and nailed that way.

I definitely recommend this over the MFG suggestion of 15 gauge staples as you would use in full 3/4" flooring.

I do need to get some pictures posted. I am finished except for transition pieces (I needed to stain red oak transitions to match my cherry flooring as best as possible and am about there). 90% of my quarter-round is in as well. It's exciting to be this close to done.

I received a lot of helpful information from this site. I would like to thank those who are the regular contributors (floorguy, Gary and others) for all of the great comments and direction.

Thanks a lot for all the help. I'm half way done and it is looking great. The stapler is working great also.