I'm installing a 5.5" wide oak saddle (natural stain, 3 coats polycrylic) in a 5.5' doorway, between a carpeted floor and a vinyl tile floor. What's the best way to nail it down? Common sense says that finishing nails will pull out, but I don't know of any other type of fastener that doesn't have a visible head.
Thanks,
Steve
You could use trim head screws (they leave a bigger hole to fill than finish nails, but hold better). I have put in a number of these with finish nails and it works fine. I would assume that you are not planning to put it on top of the carpet, but rather butt the carpet up to it. If so, the finish nails should draw the saddle firmly down to the subfloor and it will be stable. The only way the nails would work loose is if it is possible to flex the saddle. It should rest flat and solid on a firm surface. If the surface is uneven, you could use floor patch under it to keep it from rocking.
Use screws in a hole, glue in face grain oak plugs, cut off flush and finish.
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I just used small brass screws countersunk into the oak. Looks pretty good actually.
Why would the finishing nails pull out? This thing is on the floor, right? Any stresses on it will be down, or sideways.
I have done the same and it also looks good.
I installed a narrower maple saddle in a friends house, and he did not want nailheads showing. So, I used a tube of Liquid nails, ran two straight beads about an inch apart and glued it down. One year later, so far, so good. This is at a bathroom entrance that gets stepped on every day multiple times.
JE
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