# Forum Home Renovation Flooring  Secret Nailing Floorboards

## MrPotatohead

Hi All! 
I am about to start installing the floorboards in the extension, and attach them to the existing boards. I was thinking of using a secret nailer, in the hope this would save time and money when it comes to sanding. The boards are cypress pine, and are being installed over yellowtongue. 
My question: 
In the attached floor plan, I am connecting the boards at the bottom of the kitchen (ignore the tiles, there will be floorboards). I will then lay the boards up the hallway, but then have to lay backwards into bedroom 4. Does the secret nailer work on the groove also? How would I do this? 
Appreciate the help,
Cheers.

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## METRIX

If you are referring to using a secret nailer that uses staples , this can be a problem when using cypress, because the cypress is very brittle in comparison to say blue gum or any other hardwood. 
We havent had too much luck with cypress and secret nailing, the staples tend to break the tongue off when they go in so we don't secret nail it, we either top nail cypress or do a deal with the client for another type or wood if they are particullarly after the secret nail look. 
The secret nailer can only fire into the tongue you cannot shoot into the groove, but if you have to reverse your direction for some reason the way we do it is. 
Make a piece of timber which can act as a double width tongue
Reverse the direction of the next board so the tongue faces the other way and the two grooves are facing each other.
Glue the double tongue into the "back to back" grooved boards
Top nail the two off sides of the boards you faced back to back, (you could probably get away without doing this step as long as you have glued the boards down but we always top nail the back to back sides of the reversed boards.  
Then continue to secret nail in the other direction. 
On a cypress floor you wont see any top nails as there are so many knots on display. 
Look at an earlier posting I did, we had to reverse the board direction in the large family room as the reno started at the other end of the house because the occupants were living through the entire house reno, and by the time we got to the large room the boards were runing in the wrong direction for one side of the room, but you could not tell, even though we top nailed the boards which were right in the center of the room, the floor sanders patched them and you could not see them at all.  http://www.renovateforum.com/f176/re...33/#post889240 
There is a lot of floor installers on here and they might have another method to solving the problem.

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## Gaza

> Make a piece of timber which can act as a double width tongue
> Reverse the direction of the next board so the tongue faces the other way and the two grooves are facing each other.
> Glue the double tongue into the "back to back" grooved boards
> Top nail the two off sides of the boards you faced back to back, (you could probably get away without doing this step as long as you have glued the boards down but we always top nail the back to back sides of the reversed boards.  
> Then continue to secret nail in the other direction.
>  .

  
yep thats the way its done but we dont top nail, just secrete nail through the reverse tongue, plus heap of glue. 
you can use a cleat gun for cypress this is not air compressed just manual its more effort but does not break off the tongue.

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## shanetorque

I would also suggest turning the pressure of the air compressor down as low as possible. You want it just enough to seat the staple. This should stop the tongue getting blown off.

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## MrPotatohead

Fantastic Information, thanks guys. Ill do a few dry runs on some scrap and see how I go. And yes, heaps of glue! 
Cheers.

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## intertd6

its always a good idea to keep any plastic tongues from particle board flooring for this, use a "T" head nailing gun for any cypress product, you will be able to secret nail it with good results if you stay away from the short grain around knots, if you have to just drill & hand nail those bits, 
regards inter

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## MrPotatohead

Hi Inter, 
I have a few boards down, and they are going down well. I have turned the compressor down to 60psi and we are getting very few splits at this pressure. The odd one that does split, I just break that part of the tongue off and keep on going. Thats a good tip regarding the yellow tongue tongues. I wish I had have thought of that! 
Cheers.

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## intertd6

with the plastic tongues, you have to guard them from the sparkies because they use them to draw wires through with them.
regards inter

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## dazzler

Hi. Jumped onto this old thread as my question is similar.  
I have created a new entry into the house and pulled a wall and need to fill where the carpet in that room was with t&g tas oak.     
The change in colour is where I have spliced it into the old floor;  
I ripped a board down wide enough for the groove to be strong and glued and drilled and nailed it down where the new boards meet. This is the same way that other areas were done during the Reno by a builder. So it looks strange but matches.  
Anyway, I just realised that because of the way it needs to be flush in the corner and the end tongues go into the infill strip that the nails will be going in to the grooves not the tongue. I had a staple gun ready for tomorrow.  
They are going to be glued to the ply subfloor.  
Suggestions on how best to do this given I can't flip them without making up a false tongue at the infill and I would rather the factory milled fit at the infill. And they are all cut to size and look great.  
I have three sizes of nail gun and used the long bradder for the infill and punched them flush.  
Being a hallway I imagine the stapler would only have done half the width so would have to nail anyway.  
When I pulled up a small section of the old boards the glue actually ripped the ply out so the glue is bloody strong.  
Do u think I could glue and nail through the tongue and punch flush where needed?  
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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