4 Makita Tools That Will Come In Handy When Installing Flooring
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Installing flooring in your home feels like one of those things that should be easy, but isn't. Conceptually, you're just sticking a big, solid rectangle into a space on the floor, which feels like it shouldn't be any more difficult than putting a really big jigsaw puzzle together. In practice, though, a lot of work goes into flooring installation, from shaping your boards and tiles to fit the available dimensions to ripping up any old flooring that's taking up space.
Naturally, if you're planning on doing some floor installation, whether for work or as a home DIY project, you're going to need a suite of appropriate tools to get the job done. While it doesn't offer all of the tools you could need for a complete flooring job, the Makita hardware brand offers a handful of devices that you may find useful in certain situations of your flooring adventure.
These Makita tools are great for flooring jobs, all available at either Home Depot or Amazon and backed up by feedback from users and professional crafters. More information on our selection methodology is available at the bottom of the article.
SDS-MAX floor scraper shank
Assuming you're engaging in some DIY flooring in your home or a smaller building like a garage or shed, there's probably already some flooring attached to the ground. You can't exactly attach new flooring if there's already flooring there, so it's going to need to get ripped off first. You might be able to do it by hand, depending on the material, but you might as well let a power tool handle it.
The SDS-MAX Floor Scraper shank attaches to a Makita demolition hammer for efficient and powerful tile and flooring removal and destruction. The sturdy, 6-inch head is narrow enough to slide under a tile, yet powerful enough to rip it and its adhesives off the floor. The shank is made of high-strength steel to ensure its longevity and resilience, backed up by a tapered head to prevent bolt shearing and a rust-proof protective coating.
Makita's SDS-Max Floor Scraper Shank is available at Home Depot for $193.07, where it has a user rating of 4.0 out of 5. You will need an SDS-Max demolition hammer to use it, which is also available at Home Depot if you don't already have one. Users have praised the shank's heavy-duty design and resilience for flooring and adhesive removals, with some even using the shank on its own as a chisel for small-scale jobs.
Cordless tile/glass saw
Once you've got an empty lot laid out for your flooring to be, the next puzzle to solve is fitting all of it in the available space. Even if you're using modular tiles, they may not be able to fit perfectly into the allotted area, which can leave ugly and potentially dangerous floor gaps behind. To properly fill the space, you'll need to do a bit of customization, and that means cutting tiles down to size.
Makita's tile and glass saw may be small in size, measuring in at only 12-3/8 in. long, but it's got a hidden breadth of power in its 3-3/8 in. blade. With the power of the Makita motor, this blade can deliver up to 1,600 RPM of rotational action with a 1 in. cutting depth, allowing you to perform all kinds of precise cuts and trims. For wet-cutting situations like glass installation, there's also a water tank on the back you can use to safely pre-soak the blade.
The Makita tile and glass saw is available at Home Depot for $151.71, where it has a user rating of 3.9 out of 5. Tile installation YouTube channel Landberg Tile TV tested this saw against a variety of different flooring materials like wood and marble, which it was able to meet without any significant problems.
Fixed base laminate trimmer
Depending on the size of the flooring you're installing, as well as whether or not you're adding any artistic flourishes like sloping sides, the raw sides of the flooring may be too rough or uneven to place properly. If the problem is too minute, you might not be able to fix it with a regular saw. In that case, you need a tool that can trim the sides down with the necessary precision.
Makita's fixed base laminate trimmer is excellent for trimming down the sides of laminate flooring, utilizing a compact blade powered by a 4-amp motor to deliver up to 30,000 RPM of high-speed shaving and cutting. The fixed base, combined with a rack-and-pinion mechanism, allows you to precisely set the depth of your cut and keep it secured while in motion.
Makita's fixed base laminate trimmer is available on Amazon for $140.00, where it has a user rating of 4.7 out of 5. Users enjoy the compact size and sturdy rubber grip on this device, making it great for not just convenient trimming, but quick and simple routing jobs during installation.
Cordless 2-1/2 in. straight finish nailer
Most of your flooring will be secured to the ground either with some kind of adhesive or through an interlocking panel system. In some cases, though, you may need a bit more of a forceful method to ensure everything stays in place, i.e. a solid nail into the ground. For your nailing purposes, try Makita's straight finish nailer.
This nail gun can drive a 16-gauge straight finish nail from 1 in. to 2-1/2 in. length right through solid materials, making it great for securing baseboards and wooden flooring. The particular shape of the tool gives you a clear view of the nose tip, ensuring you can always see what you're doing, even in tight confines. There's also an anti-dry fire mechanism that prevents the tool from firing blanks and damaging your flooring.
The Makita straight finisher nailer is available at Home Depot for $389.00, where it has a user rating of 4.3 out of 5. Kenny Koehler of Pro Tool Reviews gave this tool a score of 8.8 out of 10, with the convenience of a battery-powered motor instead of a hose and compressor going a long way toward streamlining jobs.
Selection methodology
The preceding tools were selected based on available Makita products for flooring jobs. Preference was given to products with at least a 3.5 out of 5 star user rating and/or positive feedback from accredited hardware publications and YouTube channels with at least 1,000 subscribers.