Scaff board floor - what nail?

giggadygoo

giggadygoo

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Hi Guys,

I have a problem! I am making a floor with reclaimed scaff boards into 2x5 joists.

I love the look and apparent superior grip of cut brad nails but can only find them in 65mm. That would be perfect for normal floors but as the scaff boards are 35mm (after sanding), I am concerned that they will not penetrate the joists deeply enough.

So..... my optional are as follows

1) Sod it - use the 65mm brads and hope for the best
2) Use 75mm lost head nails
3) Use 75mm cut clasp nails
4) something completely different.

Any advise you can give would be great!

p.s. I understand the screw/nail argument and want to use nails... Screws are too ugly in a sanded floor.

Thanks all.



3Dq6LZ
 
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Hmm. Not a bad idea. Lots of work though... what about PVA and sawdust? I could cover the whole floor pretty quick. still, lots of piloting and screwing...
 
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Hmm. Not a bad idea. Lots of work though... what about PVA and sawdust? I could cover the whole floor pretty quick. still, lots of piloting and screwing...
 
i cut parallel plugs full depth off the cutter say 10 in a row 5mm apart then pass them through a bandsaw several passes off about 5-6mm you finnish up with 40 or 50 plugs in 5 mins
 
I read that cut nails don't go in properly after 75mm as they are not sharp enough. is that just BS?
 
Can you get cut clasp nails galvanized or are you happy them rusting?
 
Definitely a no to go with the 65mm brads then? Thay would give 25 - 30 mm penetration into the joist...
 
To be honest on my own floor at home I used ring shank gun fired nails 90mm long as they has to go through 22mm boards and 12mm ply.

They have very small heads for their length and if you set the gun tip right they sink well into the surface. Then I waxed the floor and the excess waved fills the little craters left behind. The dents are obvious but you dont really see the nail heads.

It would not suit fancy flooring but we wanted it to look relatively reclaimed and were reusing the floorboard that came up.
 
Interesting. The more I think about it, the more I think the 65mm floor brads will be enough. Minimum 25mm penetration into the joists. I have also seen people glue and nail. So, what if I do 65mm brads and tight bond?
 
25mm is not a lot they say 2.5 time the board thickness so 1.5 the board thickness into the joist so 90mm
if you down grade to give you as much grip as a 21mm board 32mm so a minimum 78mm call it 80mm
 
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