The Porta-Nailer was developed and introduced by Porter Cable Machine Company circa 1958. At the time, large tracts of homes were being built, many, in certain parts of the country, featured hardwood strip flooring, usually red or white oak. These floors were installed by flooring contractors who purchased the materials and were paid by the square foot for the finished floor. The Power Nail tool was widely used, then, because it was far easier and far faster than hand nailing.

Porter Cable salesmen immediately recognized the "razor blade business" in that each nailer used a case of 25,000 nails a week. Working hard to gain acceptance, these salesmen soon ran into twin impediments. In the early 60's the housing market slowed, and simultaneously wall-to-wall carpeting came into vogue. Porter Cable was thus acquired by Rockwell International and again sales took off.

So, with sales skyrocketing, why did Rockwell sell Porta-Nailer to Porta-Nailer, Inc.? Because the closing of the Syracuse, NY plant left no room at the plant in Jackson, TN for the manufacture of the Porta-Nailer.

After the purchase, hardwood-flooring sales went into decline and bottomed out in 1980. Though sales have been on the upswing ever since, the market is completely different than it was years ago. There are no longer large tracts of homes requiring wood flooring and installation specialists. Today, the market consists of more expensive custom homes which feature hardwood flooring, and the alteration market, where the home owner is paying for carpeting in his 30 year mortgage, only to discover it lasts only 5 years. In some cases this home owner hires a carpenter to install new floors a room at a time, but in many other cases, the owner is doing it himself with the "user friendly" Porta-Nailer.

In the case of carpenters who do a lot of hardwood floor installation, they probably own a Porta-Nailer, which they purchased from one of our many dealers. But the largest segment of the market rents the tool on a per use basis from a rental agency or the lumberyard where the flooring was purchased.

Hardwood oak flooring for the home has traditionally been all 25/32" x 2 1/4" tongue and groove strip that had to be nailed down, sanded and finished. Today, however, the manufacturers have introduced many varieties of completely pre-finished oak flooring. Once these beautiful, new, pre-finished materials are nailed down, the job is done. Some of this new material is laminated from 3/8" to 9/16" thick, some is solid and much of it is random widths, giving the floor an antique appearance.

The Porta-Nailer was originally designed to be used on the 33/32" maple for gymnasiums and racquetball courts, and the 25/32" oak home flooring. Porta-Nails has developed an accessory shoe for the Porta-Nailer that is used for the 3/8" to 9/16" laminated materials, as well as a shoe base that is used to nail strip flooring to 3/4" plywood fastened to concrete. The latter method is used extensively in Florida and Southern California where homes are built on concrete slabs.

Another new and popular application for the Porta-Nailer is the installation of tongue and groove decorative wall and ceiling paneling. From do-it-yourselfers at home to commercial contractors building elegant restaurants and offices, wood is the material of choice. In 1982 we introduced the Porta-Face-Nailer to nail down the first two and last six strips of flooring, as well as flooring in closets and narrow hallways too cramped for the standard Porta-Nailer. Though such installations can be hand nailed, the Face-Nailer saves time while extending the life of the Porta-Nailer, by preventing its misuse.

All flooring, from 3/8" to 33/32" is nailed down with the same unique Porta-Nail, using both the Porta-Nailer and Face-Nailer. The nail is unique in that it features a cup point that cuts its way through the wood, preventing splitting; the competitive nail has a wedge point that promotes splitting.

The Porta-Nailer is the "user friendly" tool for today.