aaks38

I was curious given the fragile nature of bamboo flooring and given its thinner material, if a brad nailer using 1.5 to 2" nails can be used to nail it down upon the subflooring?

The other snag im running into is the house has vinyl flooring glued down to the subflooring which doesnt seem to come up easily. The manufacturer states the bamboo can be layed upon vinyl flooring but would i still need felt?

Thanks Cal

Floordude

Your in way over your head, asking us those two questions.

I take it you have never ever done flooring before?

We will label you a HACK, if you use that squeak producing brad nailer to totally nail a floor down with!!!

Get the proper stapler, like a HighPro 4090-AS and if it is 5/8 used the 1½" staples.

Yes, you can staple through the sheet vinyl, and not need any felt.

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tommymcollins

wow, all i can say , and good luck ,

Burkk

PortaNails offers a manual and air powered nailer designed for bamboo flooring. Flooring tools are set up on an angle for proper fastener placement. Portanails offers shoes designed for bamboo since it's generally measured metrically.

Cdat

I wanna' see a picture when it's done!

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JonM

http://www.bostitch.com/default.asp?...2&TYPE=PRODUCT

ALCbuilding

Bostich tools suck! it's like buying a Great Neck drill.

Cdat

I've yet to of run into any problems with one. Mind explaining yourself other then "they suck"?

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MALCO.New.York

Bostitch makes a perfectly fine Coil Nailer!, floor Nailer and the like.

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ALCbuilding

their framin gun is a POS. A coworker uses it and it sucks. I would rather buy a harbor freight gun.

Cdat

Okay, now we're getting somewhere. It's a piece of doggy poop. So, why? You state a co-worker? Have you ever used one? What is wrong with your co-worker's gun? I just want to know the why's, please.

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ALCbuilding

I have used it, it seems under-powered to me even with the air pressure cranked. Does not contact fire, only single shot makes it really slow. Just doesn't seem all that well built.

Joining_heads@c

I do not like bostitch framers, but you have a quirk in your argument. To contact fire you need to acquire the special trigger upon purchase. Many guns do not come with the ability to bump fire- you have to replace the trigger with one that allows.

ALCbuilding

Hmmm.... Didn't know that about the bostich trigger. One of my favorite framers has been the Rigid gun I have been usin for a year, you can switch it between "contact fire" and "single shot only" by turning a little knob in the trigger. I want to get the gun Max makes that is only like 14 inches long.

jamestrd

its recommeneded that you sand or scour the vynil first, to prevent plasticising.. this occurs, the wood becomes infused in the vynil and can not expand/contract properly and may cause panelization in the flooring..

but dont bother..nobody does it and I never saw a floor do this yet.

as for the brad nailer, better get yourself a better toy for the job...Powernailer.. all bamboo products are usually 5/8" thick.. so no special shoes needed, just gotta anlge the nailer a little more.. easy to do when proficient

Floordude

That's the first time I have ever heard that.

Sheet vinyl was and still is specified under wood as a moisture barrier, by Armstrong, Bruce, Hartco, Capella, and a few others.


Plasticizer migration, can happen, but usually between another petroleum based product.

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petaria

I am really looking forward to seeing your picture once you are done.

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tgeliot

I am just finishing installing 1000 sf of bamboo using a normal Bostich MIII flooring stapler. However, as normally set up it will do a very nice job of popping the tongue right off the bamboo -- the staple driver has just a bit too much reach for the thickness of the bamboo. I compensated for this by removing the shoe, and putting about a dozen layers of manilla folder material between the body of the stapler and the shoe before reinstalling the shoe. This raises the active part of the stapler just a tad higher off the floor, so the driver doesn't reach down quite far enough to break the tongue off the bamboo. I also dial the pressure down to 65 PSI. Set up like this, the results have been very consistent and reliable.

Were I starting over, I'd consider that specialized stapler someone else posted a link to here.

jeffreyfrog

I recently purchased enough Red Arawana flooring to cover my living room and hallway. I've heard that it tends to split when using a normal flooring nailer. I'm looking at buying a compressor/nailer kit and am wondering if I can do it with the finish nailer or not. If so, how do I install the nails? Do I place them at a 45 degree angle?

americanflooringsystems [.] net

LNG24

WOW, two homeowners in the SAME Thread! Personally I would suggest you use paneling hails and a small hammer so you don't split the wood. Might take longer, but it will be worth it

Only bamboo I installed was over a On Grade concrete floor using the glue down method. 2100 sq. f.t 4 rooms, 2 halls! Which by the way is not as easy as it might sound because it moves. I was not able to go as fast as I wanted in order to keep a tight joint. Took 2 people three days.