Apparatus and method for preventing damage to wood flooring during attachment to a subfloor

A pneumatically driven fastener tool for driving fasteners to attach hardwood flooring to a subfloor;

• the fastener tool comprising:
• a body having a cylinder;
• a pneumatically driven piston driven from a retracted to an extended position by the application of pneumatic pressure;
• a fastener driving blade mounted on the distal end of the piston;
• a magazine comprising means for retaining a plurality of fasteners that can be sequentially advanced into alignment with the fastener driving blade when the piston is retracted;
• an adapter foot for aligning the fastener driving blade and a fastener aligned therewith a hardwood flooring board;
• the pneumatically driven fastener tool being characterized by at least one inertia braking device positioned coaxially with the piston between the piston and a front wall of the cylinder, the inertia braking device having a thickness sufficient to be compressed while the fastener driving blade is driving a fastener into and through a hardwood flooring board to absorb energy so that the travel of the fastener into the hardwood flooring board is limited so as to prevent damage to the hardwood flooring board.

A method of installing hardwood flooring comprising the steps of:

• positioning a hardwood board on a subfloor;
• aligning a fastener disposed in a fastening tool with the hardwood board at an intersection of a tongue in the board and a lead edge of a main portion of the hardwood board;
• applying a force to a driving blade in the fastener tool to drive the fastener aligned with the hardwood board through the hardwood board to attach the hardwood board to the subfloor;
• preventing damage to the hardwood flooring board by braking the inertia of a piston driving the driving blade at the end of the stroke of the piston by compressing at least one inertia braking pad located in the fastening tool between the piston and a tool body in which the piston moves.