Installers drive fasteners into the edge or tongue of a board at an angle so that the overlapping piece completely hides the nail head. This method protects the fastener from weather exposure and leaves a clean, unblemished surface on the finished face. It is standard practice for installing hardwood flooring, tongue-and-groove siding, and certain roofing materials.
Heard on the job
Make sure you're blind nailing that cedar siding so we don't have rust streaks running down the face later.
Insider tip
Use a specialized flooring nailer to get the exact angle needed without splitting the tongue.
Also heard as
- secret nailing
- concealed nailing