The 9 Best 18 Gauge Floor cleat nailers (2023 reviews)

Freeman line of nailer come in a pretty wide variety of styles, so you can definitely find one that suits your individual preferences and needs. This pneumatic flooring nailer and stapler features a lightweight die cast aluminum body, ergonomic comfort grip handle, and tool-free quick release latch that enables you to quickly and easily access and remove jams without taking the nailer apart. The gun works just fine for shooting down flooring. This one is great for lighter materials.

This 4-in-1 nailer & stapler fires two types of fasteners, and the angled head attachment gives you the flexibility of four tools in one. It works perfect for laying 1200 sqf of hardwood. The small size of this gun lets you get close to walls, about 7", or two rows of 3 1/. The gun can be used as a regular stapler as well by just removing the handy alignment gauge.

Why We Like This:

Inexpensive, easy to use, never jammed
Very solid engineered hardwood floor stapler
350 feet with no jamming or glitches

Best For diyer: Freeman 18 Gauge Floor cleat Nailer

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If you often find yourself scrambling for convenient and suitable nailer, freeman 18 gauge floor cleat nailer is your end point. This nailer/stapler will work with 5/8 inch and 3/4 inch tongue and groove flooring. It can be used on 5/8" & 3/4", a very nice machine. The PDX50C model looks better made, has a nicer mallet, and weight less than the PFL618BR model. It will use any brand 16 gauge cleat and flooring staples. When hit properly, it's reliable and precise. It will last a long time.

This gun proves you don't have to spend a lot of cash to get good results.

Why We Like This:

Very predictable, easy to work with
Jams even with small nail bundles and even with single nails
Good piece of equipment if you are privileged to do some wood flooring installation
Excellent cuality, heavy duty and very reliable

Best For engineered Hardwood: 3PLUS 18 Gauge Floor cleat Nailer

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The 3plus 18 gauge floor cleat nailer's material feels more premium than its price would suggest. There’s 2 more power levels you have to go up for 3/4” solid hardwood. It is ideal for installation of asphalt or fiberglass roofing shingles, fastening lath wire on plywood. The force of each staple slowly moves the parts of the foot, requireing you to make adjustments constantly. The knobs are plastic, and the base of the foot is quite small.

The gun works well without the adapter, just angle it into the groove and it works well. It does get loose with extended use and make sure the nose is in the groove, not on the board or the floor. It comes off pretty easily so that you can use the gun to shoot staples normally.

Why We Like This:

Easy to use and load staples
Awesome air tool for diy homeowners
Lot of satisfied buyers

Best With most common Flooring Nails: Valuair 18 Gauge Floor cleat Nailer

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The valuair 18 gauge floor cleat nailer should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. This is a great floor nailer. It does a fantastic job with 3/4" solid asian walnut hardwood. It offers job site durability to add to that fits most air hose couplers. It has a perfect wedge angle so you don’t damage the tongues when hammering into place and the rubber mallet side is the perfect size for triggering the nailer.

This also comes in a plastic box with hinges so it opens and folds nicely. It works with most common flooring nails/staples. The included hammer is also a quality tool. It’s a solid, well built tool that should last a long time.

Why We Like This:

Drives nails through 3/4 inch oak planks like going through butter
Real workhorse and does a fantastic job at a fraction of the cost
Push the nails in deep and no air leak
Good nailer, help to finish floor

Best For applications: Numax 18 Gauge Floor cleat Nailer

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Numax makes beautiful and great nailer with classic and smartly choosen materials. This pneumatic nailer features a durable and lightweight aluminum construction, light strike bumper, semi-quick release nose to easily clear jams, and interchangeable base plates enabling you to install solid or engineered flooring from 1/2" to 3/. It is designed for applications such as framing, subfloors and roof decking. It features a dual handle design to suit your installation method for solid wood or engineered flooring. It comes with shims to insert between the tool and the foot plate, to accommodate slight differences in the tongue design, depending on manufacturer. It is easy to clear and make ready for next nail. It is great for installing 3/4 inch hardwood flooring. It is also allows for easy jam removal in the event of a jammed fastener and increases productivity.

Why We Like This:

Nice and light, ergonomical to handle
A must have tool for laying hardwood flooring
400 sqft of hickory flooring,no problems

Best For thinner wood: Powernail cleat Nailer

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Compared with other nailer in this category, the powernail cleat nailer has a convenient design. This nail gun shoots flooring height from 3/8 up to 3/4 inch cleats. It is the “angle finder” that you use when your setting up to your new floor installation scab piece. It can also adjust to nail thinner types of t&g ceiling board. The gauge L-cleats should have no trouble driving into solid oak or even strand woven bamboo.

The 50f's compact trigger-pull design eliminates the need for wielding a mallet, allowing you to get closer to walls and tight spaces. The nailer never jammed and sunk cleats to a reasonably consistent depth. It is a gentler way to install.

Why We Like This:

Really makes installing hardwood flooring faster
Your ready to start flying through your new floor installation with ease
Good investment for long term

Best With Roller: Numax Air powered Flooring Nailer

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate nailer. The numax air powered flooring nailer is exactly that - it's a simple nailer that hits all the right notes. Portable electric oil-free pancake air compressors are perfect for supplying power to your pneumatic tools. It is constructed of lightweight and high strength aluminum with heat treated steel parts, this dual handle flooring nailer is built to last. It includes a fiberglass mallet with a padded grip and rubber head, three interchangeable base plates, air tool oil, and adjustment tools, and is covered by numax. The standard straight air line attachment can obstruct the device from getting in close when you couple with a line.

The chamber for nails only holds one strip at a time, so it has to be VERY low to get a second strip to load, so it causes a lot of checking to get the new strip of nails to load. The tool feels to be made of good quality. It comes with any nailer, need to setup your air pressure to the nails and flooring you are using.

Why We Like This:

Ergonomic dual handle design for kneeling or standing during operation
Perfect performance on a strand woven bamboo floor
Interchangeable base plates (3) allow you to work on 3/8" to 3/4" flooring

Best For Floor Nailer: Powernail 18 Gauge Floor cleat Nailer

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We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention powernail 18 gauge floor cleat nailer for regular usage. It is a professional grade, pneumatic flooring nailer made with top quality components in the usa. Featuring its cast aluminum body, anodized aircraft aluminum internal parts and specialized U-cup seals, this is the professional's first choice. It includes a 3mi powernail mallet, maintenance kit and user's guide.

Why We Like This:

Good brand reputation
One of the new comers and featured product

Best For small job: carpenter Air tools 18 Gauge Floor cleat Nailer

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Best part: carpenter air tools 18 gauge floor cleat nailer costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. The CFL4518 is perfect for engineered or solid hardwood flooring including your more exotic hardwoods including stranded bamboo. It comes with a mallet and tools for adjustment. It is a fastener specifically for flooring. It comes with 3 interchangeable non-marring base plates for use with many thicknesses of flooring. The narrower cleat is good for very dense wood. It is perfect for a small job.

Why We Like This: