Flooring Cleats
From Floor Coverings
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Are flooring cleats expensive to buy?
What the heck is a flooring cleat?
They are a nail or staple for fastening down Hardwood Flooring so that it is secure and doesn't squeak. They do look like large and very strong staples with one side higher than the other. Nailing down a hardwood floor, rather than just slotting it together with tongue and groove planks, is a little more difficult, but does give a homeowner a more authentic and period feel to their floors. Because they are a little tricky to use a professional may be able to do the job more quickly and safely than a person who has not had experience using flooring cleats and a nailer. Also to be taken into consideration is what size of cleats to use for the type of flooring you have, and this info can be found either on websites or from a pro used to handling these types of jobs. Nailers can get pretty powerful and you do not want one ricocheting away from you accidentally.
How are they used?
Put into a manual or pneumatic nailer and off you go. If the thought of using a nailer is a little bit daunting, an experienced pro can help, or do the job for you. Using cleats and a nailer can actually be scary because of the power of the nailer and the substantial size of the cleat. These are not your regular office staples. A nailer and cleats used for putting down hardwood flooring have to be strong, and therefore then can be strong enough to cause some injury if there's an accident or the person doing the job is inexperienced. Because a nailer and cleats is not exactly something that we whip out every day and use, renting one of these pieces of equipment is always a good idea, and rental equipment yard personnel can also help with questions you may have. Any yard that rents commercial equipment will have a variety of power tools such as these nailers. The cleats may be gotten from a hardware store or online.
Are they worth it?
It's either these fast little beauties or hammering in hundreds of nails one by one. Your choice. If you have tons of time on your hands and want the feel of 18th or 19th century craftsperson, then by all means nail down your flooring one nail at a time. Your knees could give out before you are finished with the job, though. They are definitely worth it and there's something about putting down substantial and solid hardwood floors that is old world and very satisfying. Real hardwood planks that have to be nailed down are longer lasting than manufactured or Laminate flooring. They also give a period look that is hard to find unless you have a real good replica floor product. With nailed down real hardwood flooring, if you keep spare pieces of the planks in your shop, and a section of flooring gets damage, replacing it will be reasonably easy.
