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I have the floor nailed down in the entire room , except for the last seven courses. The pneumatic floor nailer can't get any closer than that without the mallet hitting the wall. Do I really have to pre-drill and hand-nail the last seven courses? I'm using a Porter-Cable FCN200 Pneumatic Flooring Cleat Nailer.

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Can you rotate it to be at right angles to the wall? Then that would just leave the corners. – ChrisF♦ Nov 8 '11 at 20:45
@ChrisF Rotate the nailer? Or the flooring? I can't see how it would work either way. – aphoria Nov 8 '11 at 20:56
The idea was that you'd be parallel to the wall (if that was possible). However, I see from the image that that probably wouldn't work. – ChrisF♦ Nov 8 '11 at 20:58
One of the mfg selling points is "Non-marring base allows user to drive fastener close to wall". Maybe you're as close as they mean, but have you checked the manual for tips? – Scivitri Nov 9 '11 at 1:45
Thanks. The manual does not help with this question. – Philip Nov 9 '11 at 14:10

2 Answers

up vote 8 down vote

Usually you can hand toenail all but the last two rows, thus hiding the nails. Pre-drill pilot holes just above the tongue (same angle and placement as nailer would have done) and set the nails. You can use a wedge and blocks to tighten and hold the slats for nailing. The last couple of rows should be glued and face nailed. Counter sink the nails and fill with a matching filler. If the floor is prefinished, then the manufactured probably offers a matching filler. If it is unfinished, be sure to use a stain-able filler.

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I used this technique, but I only face nailed the last row so I could hide the nails under the shoe molding. – aphoria Nov 10 '11 at 17:54
As long as you get a swing with the hammer, getting down to last row is great. I use the side of the hammer and try to get to the last row also. – shirlock homes Nov 10 '11 at 21:51
I should've mentioned that the base trim wasn't up either, so I had a little bit extra clearance. – aphoria Nov 11 '11 at 12:49
up vote 5 down vote

Yes, you will have to hand-nail.

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although you can probably use the nailer for one or two more courses - use the back of the hammer, and hit straight down. – chris Nov 8 '11 at 23:03
Thanks. The manual does not help with this question, but it does say not to use the back of the mallet. – Philip Nov 9 '11 at 14:09

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