We know how tiring and labor-intensive flooring tasks can be. You do not only have to get yourself the right device but also need to get the appropriate equipment for it. And among all of them, one thing that you have to put proper emphasis on is the nails.
Speaking from experience, you would not want to work with nails that are not up to the mark. With those, the results that you will get will not be that pleasing. In comparison, the finish that the best nails for hardwood flooring can offer is way higher than the regular ones.
By getting those, you would also be able to get the full performance of the tool you are using. Also, it will ensure that you get the exact looks that you were shooting for.
What Is the Best Nail Size to Use for Hardwood Floor Installation?
For ½ inches of wood flooring, the 1-1/2 are the ones that you would want to pick up. On the other hand, you should pick the 1-3/4 inches long nails if you are using a ¾ inches thick plywood on the concrete slabs of ¾ inches.
Top 5 Best Flooring Nails for Hardwood Floors
We would not want you to go through the same hassle that we went through when we were trying to find well-performing nails in the market. And for that reason, we would want to introduce you to the options we had picked when we were trying to pick one for ourselves. And they are as follows:
1. BOSTITCH Flooring Nails FLN-200 Hardwood Flooring Cleats
Product Specifications
- Gauge: 16
- Type: L-shaped
- Box Quantity: 1000
- Length: 2 inches
Looking for the right amount of hardwood flooring cleats that will cover up to 200 square feet of the area? Then, this package is exactly what you were looking for all this time.
First of all, this one comes in a pack of 1000 cleats. That amount of cleats should be more than enough for covering 200 square feet of hardwood flooring. There will be no need for you to get anything extra.
- Comes in a pack of 1000
- One box can cover 200 square feet
- Features a polished finish on the exterior
- Compatible with most of the nailers
- The length of the nails is 2 inches
Aside from the quantity, these are L-shaped cleats that will be compatible with most of the nailers that you will find in the market. For that reason, you will not have to worry about compatibility that much. And the gauge of these is 16 gauge, which makes this one compatible with the industrial tools that are available.
Alongside that, these wood floor nails have a special coating on the exterior. It has the ability to offer a polished look. As a result, it will create an aesthetic look on your flooring. The length of these fasteners is 2 inches. That means you can get these pretty deep into the flooring.
On that note, because of being 2 inches in length, you can make these work with flooring materials that are up to 2 inches thick. That includes most of the floorings that are in the market.
2. Powernail PowerCleats 16ga L-Cleats Best for 3/4 Hardwood Flooring
Product Specification
- Gauge: 16
- Type: L-shaped
- Box Quantity: 5000
- Length: 1-1/2 inches, 1-3/4 inches, and 2 inches
You might want to cover a relatively large chunk of flooring. And for that, you would need to get something that has a higher coverage. Well, in that case, you should have a look at what Powernail is offering here.
Unlike some of the other offerings, this one comes in a pack of 5000. Because of having that much amount of nails, you would be able to work with hardwood flooring that will cover up to 1000 square feet of area. So, if you are working with the flooring of that area, there will be no need for you to get multiple boxes.
- Includes 5000 cleats in a box
- A single pack can cover up to 1000 square feet
- Features a unique design on the tip
- Offers a trouble-free operational experience
- Provides optimum results on different floorings
Aside from that, you will have options regarding the length. Depending on the thickness of the flooring material that you are working with, you can choose 1-1/2 inches, 1-3/4 inches, or 2 inches. And the type of all of them is L-shaped, which means it would be compatible with most flooring nailers.
Other than the sizes, these have a unique design for the tip. The design will aid in driving the nails directly into the underlayment and floorings. This feature alone makes this one a worthy pick for the best nails for 3 4 hardwood flooring.
Alongside that, the construction of the units will make sure that you get a trouble-free operational experience. You can get optimum results for such a construction too.
3. Porta Nails 2 Inch Floor 42629 T-Head Nails for Face Nailing Hardwood Flooring
Product Specifications
- Gauge: 16
- Type: T-head
- Box Quantity: 1000
- Length: 2 inches
While browsing through different options that are in the market, you might want to settle for the best nails for face-nailing hardwood flooring. And this one that is from Porta Nails will be a perfect pick for that.
To start with, the package that you will receive will contain 1000 nails. Each of them will have a 2-1/4 inches width. For having such a width, you can make this work with most of the tongue and groove style flooring. Also, it is ideal for floorings that are up to 2 inches in thickness.
Talking of which, as you are going to get 1000 cleats, you can use one box for covering up to 200 square feet of flooring. That means if you are handling a comparatively small-scale project, getting more than two of these boxes will not be necessary.
- Features a T-shaped head
- Works great for face nailing and angled nailing operations
- Offers a damage-free finish
- Drives perfectly through dense hardwoods
- Each box can cover up to 200 square feet of area
Aside from that, these are the perfect pick for face nailing operations. You can also work with angled nailing operations for the type of head that these have. The head will not cause any damage while you are carrying out operations such as that.
Other than that, they have cupped points. That point will help the nail to drive through the wood perfectly. There will be no splitting even if the hardwood that you are working with is denser than usual. So, you can expect to get a perfect finish off of these.
4. Powernail 18ga L Cleat Flooring Nails for 3/4 Hardwood Flooring Projects
Product Specifications
- Gauge: 18
- Type: L-head
- Box Quantity: 5000 in one case
- Length: 1-3/4 inches
The 18 gauge nails are something that you might require in a large quantity. And getting the small boxes will not cut it if you plan to carry out a considerably large-scale project. However, this pack that is being offered by Meite would be more than enough.
Let us first talk about the number of nails that you will be getting. This one comes in a case that contains 5 boxes. Each of the boxes will contain 1000 nails, which means you are going to get 5000 nails. That means this will be good enough for relatively large-size hardwood flooring projects.
Other than that, each of the cleats features a construction of high-quality material. Instead of the average quality steel that some of the brands use, Powernail has opted for high-quality steel. That makes them achieve a higher level of durability.
- The carton contains a total of 5000 nails
- Each of the nails is of high-quality steel
- Features an innovative L-shaped head
- Compatible with most of the tools
- Does not split even when the wood is considerably dense
Aside from the overall construction, these feature an innovative L-shaped head. For the unique design of the head, you will not have to worry about split tongues. These will offer a praiseworthy finish even on the densest hardwood floorings.
Besides that, these are compatible with most of the top-rated power rollers. Staring from the 50p to 50p FLEX, you can use this with all of them. These work great in regular nailers as well.
5. Meite 18 Gauge 2-Inch Brad Nails for Crafting & Home Project
Product Specifications
- Gauge: 18
- Type: L-head
- Box Quantity: 5000 in total
- Length: 2 inches
Among all of the types of nails available in the market, the 18 gauge brad nails for hardwood floors are something that most opts for. Well, if you were looking for a unit such as that, you should definitely put this one on your consideration list.
Like some of the other packs, this one comes in a casing. The casing will contain eight separate boxes. And each of the boxes will carry around 1000 nails. Nevertheless, the total amount of fasteners that is going to ship to you will be 5000, which is more than enough for relatively large-scale hardwood flooring tasks.
- Includes 5000 fasteners in one casing
- The length of each of the nails is 2 inches
- Features galvanized finish
- Boasts chisel point to offer a flush finish
- Works with most of the 18 gauge nailers
Besides that, the nails will be 2 inches in length. For having such a length, you would be able to work with the flooring that boasts thick materials. There will be no need to worry about the nailers not being able to go through the entire thickness of the material.
Aside from that, the finish on these is galvanized. Each of them has a chisel point that makes them achieve a unique look. And because of having such a finish and the chisel point, the finish that you will get on the flooring will be flush.
Other than that, you can use most of the brad nailers for this. It will work with the brands that offer 18 gauge nailers. That means you would not even have to worry about the compatibility that much for this.
Types of Nails for Laying Hardwood Floor
Like any of the other products, there are a couple of types of these out in the market. And it would be a good idea to get a proper idea about each of them before you make a purchase decision. That being said, the number of types that are available is four. And a brief description of each of them is as follows:
Finishing Nails
Some of the installation equipment might demand a higher level of depth. And for those, the face nailing amount that most of the nails offer will not be enough as they are simply not going to go through the entire material properly. That is where the finishing nails come into play.
These are driven straight down into the top of the boards that are on the subfloor. And they are generally countersunk. Each of the depressions is then filled with wood putty to get the desired finish. And when it comes to countersinking, finishing nails shine the most as they have a minimal head and a slender body.
Among all, the 8D sizes are the most common. They are used for the pen drilling process that avoids the slipping of the boards. You can also use these manually, which means you might not even need to get yourself a nailer to completing certain types of nailing tasks.
Square-Cut Nails
Among all of the types, the one that is still handcrafted is the square-cut nails. As you might have guessed by reading the name, these will have square shank. The shank is wider near the head region, and it tapers down towards the tip. And this type of nail is driven into the grooved edge of the boards.
On that note, as these are hand-driven, you would not be able to use them with a nailer. So, the task that you are going to carry out with these will be a bit time-consuming. Also, the skill required for handling this type is comparatively high. For that reason, these would not be an ideal pick if you are a beginner.
Rose-Head Nails
Many of the people are planning to give their flooring a rustic look. Well, that is exactly where the rose head nails step in. These are meant to be seen by the onlookers because of the decorative upper portion that they have. It works exceptionally well with the colonial-style planks.
Alongside that, you can make these work perfectly with boards that do not have any interlocking tongues or grooves. These are meant to be face-nailed through the entire flooring material. Nevertheless, the decorative design that we talked about will vary from brand to brand.
Flooring Nails
These are the ones that are only compatible with manual or pneumatic devices. And for the shape and the operational procedure of these, they are generally ideal for the installation process of hardwood floors. In fact, these have the ability to make the work look light and easy.
Other than that, these might come in different shapes and sizes. Some will have a barbed shank, while some will have a spiral or smooth shank. All of them are dedicated to blinding driven nails. That means you are going to get a perfect angle in each of the triggers that you will pull.
How Many Nails for Hardwood Flooring?
Most of the nail boxes that you will purchase from the market will have an approximate coverage area. For example, the ones that we took a look at in our reviews are 1000 for 200 square feet area. That means with the 5000 pack boxes, you can cover up to 1000 square feet of flooring.
Nevertheless, this approximation will not be enough if you are working with an area that is not within that range. The project that you might be handling might be 1158 square inches or something that is in odd numbers. Also, the number of nails will highly depend on the spacing that you are going to put between each nail.
To give you an idea about the quantity that you are going to need, let us give you a guide that most follows. It is recommended to put at least 8 inches of spacing in between each nail for the standard flooring boards. If we do the calculation, the number stands for 1-1/2 nails per foot.
However, if you are working with wider planks, you need to reduce the spacing to 6 inches, which will equate to two nails per foot. On the other hand, if the planks are narrower, the spacing should be 10 inches. And that equates to 1-1/5 nails per foot.
Frequently Asked Questions
What gauge nails for 3/4 hardwood flooring?
¾ inches hardwood flooring is typically thicker than the other types of flooring. And according to the thumb rule, the thicker the material, the thicker the nails should be. Considering that, we would say that you would want to pick the 16 gauge nails.
Are all of the nails of the same material?
Not really. The type of material utilized for the construction will be different for each of the offerings that are from different brands. Some might stick to steel, while some might dial down on the amount of steel and combine different materials with it.
What finishing looks the best for the nails?
If you are planning to keep the nails flush to the ground, opting for the polished finish would be a good idea. They will enable you to get a unique look at the flooring.
Do nails catch rust?
Yes, nails do catch rust. The iron used for the construction of these is prone to oxidation. And whenever there is oxidation, rust is going to take place.
Are the nail boxes that come in large quantities worth it?
It depends. If you are handling a large-scale project, getting the boxes that include a large number of nails would be worth it. Also, they will come in handy if you do multiple small projects.
Final Words
Getting the best nails for hardwood flooring might have been a difficult task for you. But hopefully, the narrowed-down list that we have huddled in this article was capable of making the choosing process a bit easier for you. That being said, we hope that the flooring project you carry out goes according to your plan.
This is Autem Decker. Main Author of ‘TheHomeDigs‘. You may not find her on the list of top 10 contemporary Canadian interior designers, but everyone who knows her says she was born to be an interior designer.
She makes her plan in her head and draws them in her years-old diary with a note in the corner. The way she plays with color and shape amazes us.
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