- 1). Top-nail the first course of flooring to the sub-floor by pounding pairs of 2-inch finish nails at 12-inch intervals along the length of the course. Sink the heads of the nails with a nail punch.
- 2). Set the grooves of the next course of flooring against the tongues of the first course and use the mallet that came with the pneumatic nailer to tap them together. The mallet head has two sides, one made of rubber and one made of metal. The metal side is slanted so that you can tap boards without damaging the surface.
- 3). Attach the nailer to an air compressor if it is air-driven; turn on the compressor and let it fully charge.
- 4). Insert a strip of cleats in the cartridge on the top of the nailer. Set the nailer on a board so that the base wedges against the edge of the board.
- 5). Hold the handle of the nailer to keep it steady and strike the plunger with the rubber side of the mallet. The nailer will deliver a cleat into the tongue of the board and at the same time drive the board tightly against the one next to it. Verify that the head of the cleat is fully sunk into the wood.
- 6). Adjust the air pressure if the cleat does not fully sink or goes right through the wood. If your nailer is not air-driven, you can regulate the depth of the cleats by varying the force you use with the mallet.
- 7). Use a hammer-and-nail punch to sink any cleats that may be sticking up. Don't try to pull them out because they are barbed and you may damage the board trying to remove them.
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