How do I Use a Bostitch Floor Runner?

The floor runner works best on engineered floors.

A Bostitch floor runner is a home improvement tool used to install hardwood and laminate floors. The floor runner, also known as a floor stapler, allows the installer to quickly secure planks without having to lean down onto the floor. The floor runner is a pneumatic tool that uses pressure from the trigger to drive staples through the planks.

Things You'll Need

• Staples
• Scrap plank
• Mallet

Instructions

1. Plug the Bostitch floor runner into an electrical outlet. Grasp the floor runner by the black and yellow handle and place it on the subfloor, up against the plank you need to secure.

2. Insert the staples into the staple tray. The size of the staples will vary with your Bostitch floor runner model, but in general, they take 15 gauge staples of 1/4 to 1/2 an inch.

3. Select a piece of scrap planking to serve as a hammering buffer. Line the scrap plank up against the plank you need to secure and hammer it firmly with the mallet to make sure the plank is close against the already secured flooring.

4. Move the floor runner in closer to the plank you need to secure. Find the notch in the bottom of the runner that fits over the loose plank and slide the plank under the notch.

5. Stand on the secured flooring, facing the front of the floor runner. Raise the mallet and strike the trigger as hard as you can. It takes hard force to activate the stapler, so using most of your strength to strike the trigger may be necessary.

6. Drive a staple into the plank every 16 inches, and along the floor joists. Repeat with each plank.

References

• CNY Source: Bostitch Floor Runner
• Hammerzone: Installing a Hardwood Floor