28
I finally gave up on my old rubber mallet for click-lock flooring
For years I used this heavy red rubber mallet, the kind with the split head, to tap planks together. It worked, but I was always fighting with it, hitting too hard and leaving marks or not getting a tight enough lock. Last month on a big job in Tempe, my helper brought his basic plastic tapping block and a regular hammer. I tried it just to move faster, and the difference was night and day. The plastic block spreads the force perfectly, and the hammer gives you way more control than a big, bouncy mallet. I got a cleaner seam every single time with half the effort. I felt pretty dumb for sticking with my old way for so long. Has anyone else made a simple switch like that that saved a ton of headache?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
gavinb972mo ago
Yeah, a tapping block is a total game-changer for that stuff.
8
josepha322mo ago
Remember trying to tap in a dowel without one and just mangling the wood. @gavinb97 is right, it's a simple tool that just makes things work like they should. I learned that lesson the hard way on a shelf project last year.
8