Recommend me a hammer for floor boards

[Dr Murdoch]

I'm in the process of nailing back down floorboards in a bedroom using cut clasp nails. Christ on a bike its hard work!

I'm using a 29oz claw hammer, I thought this might be too light but it appears to be on the heavy side when looking online. I thought the heavier the better?

So is there a better hammer out there, and has anyone got any tips to make this job easier?

[Geffg]

Screw them down instead incase ever have to come up again

[Belle427]

Id agree, far easier and you wont cause any damage to ceilings below.

[sherman]

Do you need this type of hamner?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-Expert-19724-Magne...

[Dr Murdoch]

Geffg said:

Screw them down instead incase ever have to come up again

Thanks but I'm going to sand and varnish the floor, so that rules out screws.

[Chumley.mouse]

Last time i used cut clasps ( still got about 20kg of them ) about 25 years ago to lay oak floorboards, i found it almost impossible to get them in straight without pilot drilling each one. I also made a wooden ( ply ) donut thing to go around the nail as I hammered them in, the hammer likes to slide off them and dent the floor otherwise……..worked a treat……..just knocked them home with the nail punch after.

Takes a bit longer this way but i didn’t want to spend the next 20 years looking at hammer rings on the floor.

[Richard-D]

Proper floorboards, proper floorboards that might be on show or chipboard?

I lean towards screwing them down also as long as looks aren't important.

edit: left it on the 'reply' page too long. I see this has already been answered.

Edited by Richard-D on Tuesday 31st December 14:47

[Chumley.mouse]

Only picture i can find

[R6tty]

Cut nails are my favourite for the best look. They are shaped so they souldn't need punching in and can be sanded over. As for a hammer- you'll be opening up the floodgates here!! My day to day choice is the smaller Estwing which I've had for thirty odd years. You don't need anything big for this job, but it's what you get used to.

Although saying that, if they are tongue and groove, hire yourself a floor nailer. 'Secret' nails that go in the join out of sight and knock the boards together tight. I have one!

[LimmerickLad]

I recently bought a fencing hammer / pliars for the 1st time ever...........may be because I have bad hands after years of abuse in construction but I found these so easy to use that I use them for most things now instead of a claw hammer..........cerations on the head seems to help with mists too.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Another vote for screwing , relaid my landing floor and have it bare varnished .

Use these screws or similar , the screw head is smaller than a nail and , less noise and much easier than hammering

https://www.toolstation.com/lost-tite-screw/p33733...

[R6tty]

I do a lot of flooring. Screws look awful. Cut nails, although unfashionable, are best for the job in my book. Sanded screws look st.

[Chumley.mouse]

Only picture i can find

[Chumley.mouse]

Ooops sorry butter fingers

[wolfracesonic]

29oz sounds like an Estwing framing hammer, is the handle about 3ft long? 16 and 20oz are more standard weights for general carpentry hammers, without going down the titanium rabbit hole. Why cut clasps, do you want the look of them? If not, screws are a better option

[Dr Murdoch]

wolfracesonic said:

Why cut clasps, do you want the look of them? If not, screws are a better option

It's a period property, so would like to retain the character. So yes, I prefer the look. Although I'm tempted to try a couple of screws to see what they look like, but as I'm using original boards complete with holes created by the original cut nails, then I fear it will look like a digs dinner with screws?

I would be grateful to see any photos with screws used in reclaimed boards

[Regbuser]

Not considered a first fix nail gun? Make the job a lot easier.

[wolfracesonic]

Ah ok, nails are the way the go if they’re going to be seen. A 3/32’’ nail punch is your friend to avoid any ‘half crowns’ in the boards.

[C4ME]

Dr Murdoch said:

wolfracesonic said:

Why cut clasps, do you want the look of them? If not, screws are a better option

It's a period property, so would like to retain the character. So yes, I prefer the look. Although I'm tempted to try a couple of screws to see what they look like, but as I'm using original boards complete with holes created by the original cut nails, then I fear it will look like a digs dinner with screws?

I would be grateful to see any photos with screws used in reclaimed boards

Can you still get proper ones? The reason I ask is proper ones cut their way through the wood but as far as I understand the final factory to make them (in Glasgow) shut down in the 2000s and the equipment was dismantled and shipped to the USA. What is sold as cut clasp nails now are not sharp edged and much harder to use. A small pilot hole does work so if you already have original nail holes it should be easy. If your joists are springy that also makes for hard work.

Screws will look horrible for what you are doing by the way.

Edited by C4ME on Tuesday 31st December 16:38

[Promised Land]

Dr Murdoch said:

I'm in the process of nailing back down floorboards in a bedroom using cut clasp nails. Christ on a bike its hard work!

I'm using a 29oz claw hammer, I thought this might be too light but it appears to be on the heavy side when looking online. I thought the heavier the better?

So is there a better hammer out there, and has anyone got any tips to make this job easier?

I haven’t bumped an entire floor with T&G boards since my apprenticeship days of the 80’s.

Ball pein hammer, 24oz, clasp or lost head nails are fine but most importantly the thing you need for bumping an entire floor is a pair of flooring clamps. The ones that hook over the joists not the ratchet things used on engineered floors.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256667113928?mkcid=16&a...

https://www.rutlands.com/products/floor-board-clam...

£80 a pair new, these were over £100 each back in the 80’s, Record ones though but a pair for that is not bad. Very much needed if it’s a complete floor, you’ll regret it in years to come if you’re just pushing up tight and nailing a board at a time.

You can hire them from tool hire places, but you need a pair, you cut all your boards in, up to almost the end, fit the clamps and clamp right up tight, then bump the floor, tgats the correct way for a T&G floor to be laid, then fit the last couple of boards at the end.

Edited by Promised Land on Tuesday 31st December 16:45