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Face-nailing plank flooring

shawncal | Posted in Construction Techniques on July 5, 2009 03:37am

I have installed 3/4″ plywood subfloor and 1/2″ Homasote over my 24″ OC floor joists.  Now, ready to install 3/4″ pine plank flooring (6″ – 11″ width boards).  I was planning to face nail these using cut nails from Tremont Nail Co.  Wondering if I should be nailing into the subfloor only, or all the way into the joists below?  I’m worried that if I get a large enough nail to penetrate the joist, I’ll end up splitting the flooring, especially at the butt ends…any suggestions? 

Shawn
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Replies

  1. FastEddie | Jul 05, 2009 04:24pm | #1

    I installed 8-9" wide 3/4 solid pine boards in my kitchen, used rose head cut nails.  I did not have the homosote layer.  I think you need nails more than 2" long to go through the subfloor, but not necessarily the joists.  I made a little guage for mine that spaced the nails evenly from the edges.  I layed the board, put in a couple of standard floor nails through the tongue to hold it in place, then predrilled the holes using the guage.  I lined the nails up over the floor joists partially for a pattern, and partuially for nail holding.  I bough a large nailset and ground a slight hollow in the end to fit the domed head of the nail.  Two or three whacks with a 2-1/2 lb hammer set the nail nicely without any elephant tracks.

    "Put your creed in your deed."   Emerson

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  2. Piffin | Jul 05, 2009 05:37pm | #2

    prefrill
    nail to joists

     

     

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  3. frenchy | Jul 05, 2009 06:33pm | #3

    Yes predrill but you should first use a forstner bit slightly to put the head flush without upsetting the wood adjacent to the head.. I've seen floors that haven't used that technique and the wood that pops up must be chiseled and  sanded down. That takes far more time than doing the job correctly in the first place..   I've seen floors where all the detal on the nail head is sanded off in an attempt to eliminate the little burrs that are caused by the nail punching through on it's own..

        Drill yourself a jig with say 10 holes and it goes much faster than measure and mark each one..

  4. Geoffrey | Jul 06, 2009 02:22am | #4

    you didn't say if this is T&G or square edge....I'll assume sq.edge.

    What's with the Homasote?

    If you decide to nail into the joists use 3" cut nails, 2 per joist, 1" in from front/back edges of the boards. stay back 1 1/4" from butt ends (or the wall) , cut nails work differently than modern nails and should not cause any problems if you stay back from the ends. Assuming these are plain(not rose head) cut nails, drive them straight through the boards into the subfloor and into the joists and slightly countersink.

    Having said that, I think you would be OK with using 2 1/2" plain cut nails @ a 16"O.C. pattern (nailing into the Homasote and plywood) 2 nails per "joist".

    I'm curious about the Homasote, what's the purpose/need?, this stuff is not really meant to be used in this fashion and may cause problems down the road. Is this over a basement or crawl space?

                                        Geoff

     

    1. Piffin | Jul 06, 2009 01:46pm | #5

      This is a long running conversation over many threads.
      It is a DIY open timbered house with exposed framing in the living space below, so the Homasote is a sound absorbing layer between ceiling be;low and flooring above. It is fairly common in that sort of scenario. 

       

      Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

      1. Geoffrey | Jul 06, 2009 08:05pm | #7

        Piffin,

         thanks for the info, things make more sense now!

                                                                        Geoff

    2. shawncal | Jul 06, 2009 02:31pm | #6

      The Homasote 440 ( http://www.homasote.com/products/440-Soundbarrier.aspx ) I am using is a sound barrier, and I believe this is a common application for this product.  This is a second floor installation, over living space.  The flooring is actually T&G.

      thanks for the advice.Shawn

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