Why do you need to glue and nail down when installing wider then 5"?

Also, what are the pros and cons of 5" solid red oak, is it worthwhile or should I just stick to a 3" prefinished engineered.[/i]

Beats screwing and pluging

What?

Standards dictate that a plank floor be screwed and the hole plugged, in a nail down installation. The adhesives we have today will allow to skip that if the adhesive is used.

so your saying if you glue it down with the proper adhesive, then you dont need nail down?

No, I didn't say that.

The use of proper glue and technique using it, along with the usual fastener schedule, has eliminated the screw and plug requirement.

Yoko, what it comes down to is when you get to 5" and wider plank flooring, there is a greater tendency for movement that would overcome the holding power of nails alone. In order to assist the nails, you have three options....screw the end joints and plug the resulting holes....use wood flooring adhesive.....or make relief cuts in the back of the planks that run parallel to the grain. I believe what Austin is telling you is that u'll do yourself a favor by going with the glue option. Far less work and just as effective when done right.

Which would be what? What would be the proper glue and technique?

They didn't ask.

Just trying to pick your brain, as I an currently doing a glue and nail 6".

Some do the serpentine, some do the dot & dash, some do the slash & dash, some do rows down the sides of the width, some do a bead every 6 inches. Then there are those that are brave enough to full spread. We say a prayer for those.