This is another great article submitted by the ever knowledgeable Gene Jarka, Midwest Regional Manager for Powernail USA.

The Question of what length for which thickness of flooring is one that is frequently asked by the weekend do-it-yourself installer and professional alike. This is question seems to go hand in hand with the question of what fastener is best for which type of subfloor.

To address the question of the best fastener, a barbed wood floor cleat is always going to be the best choice regardless of flooring thickness and subfloor type. A Powernail wood floor cleat is made from high quality so they do not bend while being driven into hard materials. They are made with a well formed set of barbs along each nail, providing the ultimate holding power. The design aids in being driven into hard material, which in turn helps prevent splitting tongues. Lastly it is worth mentioning that cleats will allow for seasonal expansion and contraction, while a staple will allow for little or no movement.

When deciding what length cleat to use for an installation, it is important to keep in mind that it is ideal to have ALL of the barbs in the flooring and subfloor and to have as few barbs possible protruding from the bottom.

For example on 1/2″ flooring with a 3/4″ subfloor an 1 1/2″ cleat would be considered ideal length because all of the barbs are in wood and the tip of the cleat stops at the bottom of the subfloor.

If the subfloor is OSB, it is even more important to have the tip of the nail stop before piercing the bottom of the bottom of the OSB. This will prevent any splintering that could allow too much movement of the cleats.

Nailing schedule recommendations from NOFMA suggest that on any flooring 3/4″ thick up to 3″ is every 8″ to 10″ with at least two nails in every board and a nail within in 3″ of each end.

For flooring 3″ or wider it is recommended nails should be 8″ apart and there should be a nail 3″ from each end.