Porter-Cable FCN200 Pneumatic Flooring Cleat Nailer
|
List Price: Our Price: $449.99 You Save: $571.93 (56%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Tools See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Porter-Cable FCN200 Pneumatic Flooring Cleat Nailer
Customer Review: Excellent tool
Summary: 5 Stars
I've completed approximately 1,000 SF of 3/4" Ipe (also known as Brazilian Walnut and the general term "Ironwood") floor using this tool, a 6 cubic foot compressor and both 1.5" (90 PSI) and 2" (95 PSI) Bostitch cleats. The floor was installed over a 3/4" plywood sub-floor. Two inch cleats were fine for upstairs but 1.5" cleats were the answer for downstairs.
My few experiences reaching the last nail was an occasional dropped last nail, but the tool never jammed. I wonder if there is a difference in dimensional quality of the various cleats out there?
The tool has an excellent balance in spite of its weight. The tool places very easily on the edge of the tongue without worry of marring the wood. I'll have to qualify that statement as Ipe is the hardest wood available (Janka scale) for flooring that I'm aware of so that may play a role.
The tool is large but the only the first starting row needed to be face nailed, i.e. I could nail the second 2.5" row. Unfortunately, I had to hand toe-nail the last 2 of 3 rows and the last row had to be face nailed - part of the point of whacking the actuator is that the tool helps set the row you are nailing flush to the previous row.
It is fairly loud, so expect to wear hearing protection.
Very impressed by this product so I highly recommend it.
Tip: Test the compressor pressure required for the wood you are using (simulating wood over sub-floor) and the acceptable variation in pressure before you start. I found with Ipe for example that anything less than 85 PSI resulted in less than set cleat heads (next row doesn't seat completely causing uneven rows if you don't fix it) and more than 105 PSI caused the tongues to crack.
Customer Review: FCN 200 Floor Nailer
Summary: 5 Stars
I have purchased this nailer to install 3/4" Bruce hardwood in my house and have had a good experience with it. It will accept Stanley Bostich cleat nails which I found to be very convenient. The only problem I had was it wouldn't always drive the nails all the way in. After I turned the pressure up to about 85 pounds, I haven't had that problem since. If you do run into this problem, the best way to remove the nail is to grab it with plyers and swist it back and forth until it breaks off. I would recommend this nailer to anybody.Customer Review: Fantastic floor nailer
Summary: 5 Stars
Great nailer. Installed 350 ft. of maple flooring without any problem. No nail jams as some have said.Customer Review: First time flooring
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought the Porter Cable nailer based on the reputation of their tools and reviews. It performed very well, easy to use and drove the cleats effortlessly. I put down 5/8 bamboo over about 225 sq feet, on top of 3/4 T&G underlayment. The only times it did not drive perfectly were if I did not tap the button firmly and keep the trigger down. On one occasion I let it run out of cleats, and the last cleat tried to go in upside down. Not good, fortunately it was a short piece that I could pry out and discard.
THe bamboo flooring is somwhat brittle compared to similar oak, and I was concerned with splitting. Some of the cleats did show cracking, but the cleat design holds firmly and I was able to use fewer cleats than I expected.
I can't say yet how well it holds up in production use, but for a serious DIY project with hardwood flooring this tool will do very well.
Customer Review: First time laying hardwood floor
Summary: 5 Stars
I really enjoyed using this tool. Since I've never put down a hardwood floor,I didn't know what to expect. I layed over 400 sq.ft. of Bamboo flooring and the tool performed great. Although the Bamboo is 5/8" thick and the nailer is designed for 3/4", I noticed two indentions on the flooring caused by the slight angle of the nailer, so I taped a piece of cardboard to the bottom to level it out and that took care of the problem. If the tool is supposed to work on 1/2" to 3/4" flooring, it should come with interchangeable pads to make it level when nailing. I had read other reviews about the nailer so all I had to do was make sure I didn't run out of nails and it worked great.