The Bamboo Flooring from Sustainable Flooring arrived today. This time
the truck driver was very helpful, and assisted in unloading it.
Just for the record, this stuff is heavy, really heavy. We unloaded
49 6' long cases, each weighing 70 pounds, plus a wrapped package
of stair nosing and reducer strips. That's almost 3500 pounds of
flooring.
As it turns out, the flooring is branded 4
Winds High Density Coffee (in matte finish). I found their web
site and read the installation instructions, as well as looked at
the different photos they had. In the photo above the flooring
looks much more red then it is in person. I gave up trying to color
correct from the flash in the low light. You can find a slightly
more accurate photo here.
Based on what I read there and elsewhere, I purchased from Harvester Floors (the only place I could find
it online) the Primatech P-240 nailer I had been looking at.
Just for the record, the salesperson recommended stapling the
flooring. From what I have read, the cleats will cause less
splitting than the staples. The installation instructions on the 4
Winds site, which explicitly say do not staple, cinched it for me.
It's a gamble to go against his recommendations, but I'll take it
and see what happens.
Like everything else I buy, I researched the nailer to
death before I picked it up. I purchased this specific nailer
for the following reasons:
- Friendly for pre-finished floors. The common flooring nailers
have had lots of complaints regarding pre-finished flooring. Since
I am not a pro, there is more chance I'll muck up the floor with a
nailer that requires delicate handling.
- It gets you closer to the wall. Watch the video on the
primatech site. The trigger on the nailer can be hit from any
angle, allowing you to get much closer to the wall on those last
boards. This reduces face nailing, which reduces hole filling.
- The Trak-Edge adapter (see link below) is friendly to 5/8
flooring. Most other nailers are set up for 3/4" flooring and
require tape and/or shims. While I may still need shims of some
sort (I'll need to see how the Trak-Edge is adjusted), these folks
at least considered thinner flooring when they
built this unit.
With the nailer, I purchased 2" L Cleats and the Trak-Edge adapter plate.
Most of the flooring is still sitting outside, up on sticks,
under a tarp. I will bring it in over the next few days, with my
father-in-law helping on Saturday with whatever is left. Once it is
inside, it will sit here for a while before I use it, so
acclimation will not be a problem.