DIYbanter - View Single Post - Hardwood floor install: nail heads visible, what now?

wrote:
Hi all,

A floor installer has just finished installing new unfinished hardwood
on the floor of our apartment. The floor has been sanded, but no
polyurethane has been put down yet.

The base floor is concrete.

Due to concerns about the total height of the floor, we used 5/8''
plywood as the subfloor instead of 3/4''. The flooring is 3/4''
thick.

The problem is that, on the boards that were face nailed, the nail
heads are right at the surface of the wood. So in the midst of our
nice cherry floors, silver nail heads gleam in the light. We're told
this is because the floor is not thick enough to do anything else.

We'd like to ask the installer "why didn't you mention this before?"
But that's not exactly constructive.

So the question is: what now? It's not the nail heads that bother
us, it's that they are silver and shiny. Can we color them? If so,
with what? It seems like it would be tough to punch the nails
deeper. But is that possible? How should it have been done? Screws
and plugs? If so, can the nails be pulled out at this point?

Thanks in advance!

IF you choose to set the nailheads and putty them DO NOT putty the holes
until at least the first coat of sealer/finish has been applied. If
you fill nail holes on raw wood, the area surrounding every single one
of them will show up as light splotches.