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Fixing Methods

Secret Nailing

This is the most common method of fixing a solid wooden floor.

It is suitable where a new plank floor is being fixed to an existing wooden floor, joists or softwood batons fixed to concrete and can be used as the sole method of fixing for traditional boards up to 150mm and Strata boards up to 200mm .

It involves driving a nail at an angle through the tongue of the floorboard into the wooden sub-floor, joist or softwood baton below ( Fig. 1).

The best results are generally achieved by using a Portanailer gun; this drives a specially designed, barbed flooring naill neatly through the tongue with minimum effort, and at the same time clamps the board being nailed back against the last fitted board ensuring minimal gaps. The nails are normally used are 50mm (2"), but 38mm (1.5") nails do exist and can be used if there are pipes near the top surface of the sub-floor.

Portanailers are available from Broadleaf showrooms or good plant hire shops.