What's the best flooring stapler?

coastalfloor · February 24, 2009, 09:43 PM

Hi... thanks in advance for all your time and help!

I don't do very much wood, as a california c-15 contractor i focus mostly on high end patterned carpet, laminates,vinyl,and repair. Im just small company,a one man show, so i need the tools i do invest in to work as hard as i do.

Ive been horrified as of late to see some of the installs of pre-finished wood, some building contractors and flooring contractors alike have been selling, charging obscene amounts of money, for in my opinion: sub-standard workmanship.

Ive always wanted to start doing bigger wood jobs and id like to invest in a good quality pneumatic flooring nailer... but i dont know enough on my own to decide. Whats the difference between a cleat nailer and a stapler? Can a gun that fires both work well enough to be worth the $. Will used or re-firbished work as advertised...?

Thanks to everyone for their time, and to this forum for the betterment of our craft!

Kman · February 24, 2009, 09:49 PM

I started out with a Porter Cable nailer a couple of years ago, brand new, and had it repaired four times. The last time I took it in they couldn't fix it, so they sent it to the factory. They wanted $230 to fix it, heck I only paid around $275 for the thing.

So I bought this knock-off brand (Spot Nailer, I think). I got to put about 100 nails through it on the first job before we found out the wood floor was defective. Haven't got to use it since.

I've had good luck with the Porter Cable brand, but I wouldn't by another one of their flooring nailers.

kwfloors · February 24, 2009, 10:14 PM

Most of wood guys here use bostic. Our tool repair guy told me to stay away from porter cable and buy senco. I have both and the senco is very nice. These are for ulay not for wood floors.

Steve Olson · February 25, 2009, 05:50 AM

Bostich makes what is probably the most popular gun for solids, the MK3. Available in staple or cleat, shoots 1 1/2" or 2". I use cleats. For engineered wood, I use either a Senco SLS20 HW, or a Spotnailer.

Al Gladden · February 25, 2009, 05:53 PM

i use a bostitch stapler for 3/4 naildown..i have for my whole career...it has never let me down...

Peter Kodner · February 25, 2009, 05:56 PM

No Powernailer users?

I used both at the NWFA install class and actually liked the Powernailer more.

Steve Olson · February 25, 2009, 07:56 PM

I've used a Powernailer. Using it was what prompted me to covert my Bostich back to a cleat gun. I just could not remember the name earlier to day; it's that dang Oletimer's.....

Peter Kodner · February 25, 2009, 08:07 PM

I should clarify too. My poorly nailing strip in mock ups for half a day cannot be consideration by any but the most foolish to be an endorsement

I am not, have never been and do not intend in the foreseeable future to be a regular, or even irregular, user of any pneumatic flooring installation tools (Truth be known, I don't have the skill set for it).