Duo-Fast FloorMaster 250BN Flooring Nailer - Review

DuoFast 250BN Floormaster

Duo-Fast FloorMaster 250BN

Most likely, you’re familiar with the FloorMaster 250BN if you’re reading this review. Just in case, though, here’s a quick synopsis. This angled finish flooring nailer has a unique tip that allows you to blind-nail closer to a wall than traditional flooring nailers. The questions are – does it work and is it worth the cash? After giving the tool a test drive through some pretty dense ¾” teak, I’d have to say “Yes” and “Yes” – especially if you install floors for a living.

DuoFast Floormaster 250BN Flooring Nailer

I’ll admit that I had issues when I first used the FloorMaster. The fasteners kept blowing out the tongue or actually coming back up through the wood’s surface. After some research and a couple of phone calls, I discovered it was in fact, operator error. By increasing the air pressure to just over 110psi and futzing with the depth of drive (which is quite simple, actually), I was able to put the fasteners right where I wanted and at the perfect depth – tongue intact. I mean, come on, we’ve all had those days when even our most trusted tools seem to turn on us, haven’t we?

DuoFast Floormaster 250BN Flooring Nailer

The FloorMaster 250BN allowed me to blind-nail within about 7 inches of the wall. That’s a decent gain over the almost 12 or 13 of my traditional flooring stapler. I’m installing 5 inch planks, but on a standard-width floor, you’re getting 2 extra courses of wood that won’t require face-nailing.

It took a bit of getting used to holding the nailer at just the right angle to drive the fastener, but once you get the muscle memory going, you’re home-free. Other than that, I’d say a couple of test runs to make sure the depth is set correctly for the material you’re nailing through and into will make you a pro at its use.

As for capacity, it will hold 2 strips of 16 gauge nails for a total run of 100 fasteners, with a range of 1/1/4 – 2 ½ inch lengths.

When you’re not using it as a flooring nailer, it doubles as a finish nailer perfect for installing base and shoe molding.

For $199, you get a couple of additional tips and an extra trigger to swap out, transforming the sequential nailer into a bump-fire. It all packs neatly into a blow-molded case all weighing in at around 4 pounds.

The tool can save you time and leave your client with fewer potentially visible nails than a standard flooring and finish nailer combo. Sounds like a win-win to me.

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Check prices/availability at Home Depot: CLICK HERE

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