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Yes this is a lot of work and you need a lot of tools. If after reading this you STILL want to do this yourself :-), make sure you clean up and patch the subfloors as necessary with leveling compound, and lay down #15 asphalt paper with a stapler. The nails were set at consistent depths, and the prefinished planks were not marred (although I did put a piece of wide masking tape on the bottom of the shoe for insurance). The hammer that is included is solid and a perfect size and weight to tap the boards firmly in place and to lightly strike the actuator.
You will need a finishing nailer to put the new baseboards in -- I also used it to face nail the last 3 rows of wood flooring where there was not enough clearance to blind nail. I bought this as a homeowner with zero experience installing hardwoods. You can try to rent some if you can dedicate enough consecutive time it might be cost effective to rent, but if you expect numerous interruptions or have other projects you plan to work on anyway you may as well start buying toys, and I mean tools. Do your homework---there are great articles all over the web and even some demonstrations on youtube, but here's my contribution: Take your time and measure correctly because the first row you nail in determines how the rest of the floor comes out. You will need a good jig saw to cut holes around heating / air conditioning registers and doorways (Bosch 1590EVSK 6.4 Amp Top Handle Jigsaw did the job well). Did I mention baseboards.
A PLEASURE to work with---and at this price it better be.If you are a not a professional installer but have the urge to do this yourself this tool will definitely make your life a lot easier, but be advised it doesn't end here. I had about 1200 feet of exotic prefinished 3-5/8" x 3/4" flooring to install. Take a deep breath and tear the old ones out before you install your new floors. The last owner of my house tried that in a couple of rooms that he did, and the new flooring was butted against the side of the old baseboards and threw a quarter round over the edge. If you are going through the trouble and expense of installing new hardwoods don't skimp and leave the old ones in. You'll need a good compound miter saw to cut clean angles (Makita LS1214L 12-Inch Dual Slide Compound Miter Saw with Laser Guide worked great for this as well as crown moulding and baseboards). Stick a test board under each doorframe to check clearance and undercut the frame if necessary so the board easily slides under. Good luck.
For reference I used a Porter Cable CPFC2TV3525VP air compressor with the line set at about 110 PSI. You'll need a good compressor like the one I mentioned above or something comparable. I decided not to use the porta-nailer for face nailing even though it does it because the finishing nails have smaller heads and are less noticeable. The nailer worked flawlessly----not one jam. The end result looked like the baseboard was 2 inches high and was a mess to fix. I won't mention mine because there is an active recall but I had no issues. What more can you ask for. You'll need a decent table saw to rip boards when you reach the other end of the room and the last row is too narrow to accommodate the full board width.
I don't have a clue as to what was wrong, the tool, erroneous air pressure valves, maybe the wood was too hard (I doubt it) or the tool was a lemon. Here are some facts from my experience using this tool on a flooring job that I was not able to complete because of 421p jamming issues and frustration. Nothing worked, the tool kept jamming up. They don't claim the tool will not jam at all.
I used approximately 2000 nails and had 32 jams. I wanted to install my flooring and wasted so much time and energy that I finally ran out of time and stopped the job. Now I'm returning the 421p and can only hope that I get a refund. When I find a dependable nailer I'll will finish the job. Based on spec sheets this 421p seems to be a great too and very versital too. However user experience tells me otherwise. I might accept 1 jam but certainly not 32. Then I tried applying more pressure to the handle to hold the tool down to the floor.
I even tried a lighter rubber mallet. I'm an engineer so I even considered the material quality of the Porta-Nails themselves. Good Luck with your porta-nailer 421p. What I do know is I was very disgusted messing with a $500 plus tool. I saved the 'T' nails to prove it. However I don't have the capabilities to see if the nails were too soft or if they were suppose to be a certain thickness and were not.
Does the manufacture claim how many jams to expect using the 421p, not that I know of. During preparations I located all floor joists, placed down the construction paper and snapped lines marking joist locations so I would not hit a nail or screw head with the 421p. I tried hitting the tool softer and softer, I tried a bit harder than recommended. Time is money and I don't appreciate stopping every 10-15 minutes to reset a tool. The air pressure I used was between 95 and 115 PSI because I was trying different levels to stop the jams.
Every nail was set perfectly with no misses and no jams. Plus it takes minimal effort to activate.
Plus the nailer made no marks or scratches on the prefinished flooring. I used the nailer to lay 400 sf of 3/4" prefinished Brazilian Cherry hardwood flooring with no difficulties.
After looking at the reviews on Amazon, bought this nailer used. It only takes a few minutes to clear a jam and then you are back in business.
If you are are a DIY person like me, this nailer will make laying your hardwood floor much easier and give you professional results. After cleaning the nailer and reassembly, it worked great.
Jams are easy to fix though.
in my new home without a single jam. ft. 800 sq.
Worked as well as any of the other brand nailers but has the addition of surface nailing which works well on reclaimed flooring since you don't have to reset the nails for the sanding guys. With those two things in mind, it will nail problem free. Found this nailer to be of excellent quality.
I have done approx. All around great nailer although just a bit pricy. It is a bit pressure sensative and works best at 100+ psi.
Also doesn't handle wacking it too hard with the mallet as it has a tendency to jam.
I haven't used 421P yet, but I am impressed with the build quality. I bought this nailer based on a culmination of many reviews read from many websites. Just a suggestion Porta-Nail, and you may contact me if you wish to send me a new and improved case to replace this semi-crappy tool holder. The plastic case leaves a lot to be desired, and for the price of this product and for the quality and reputation of the product I would think that Porta-Nail would include a case with a steel pin hinge instead of the highly susceptible to breakage molded hinge. Additionally, this appears to be the only nailer that has the ability to shoe and face nail. My bother installed wood floors for ten years and he said Porta-Nail is one of the best nailers out there.
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