well spring is just around the corner which means it will be warm enough to start doing some home renovations...

plan on doing some hardwood floors around the house this year... does anyone know how strong of an air compressor i will need to complete this job... and what size tank so it isn't running all the time...

i also plan on putting the compressor in the garage to work on the car...

Lowes has a Cobalt 26 Gallon compressor that maxes at 155 PSI for $300

and

Sears has a Craftsman 26 Gallon compressor that maxes at 150 PSI for $280

thoughts?

 

When you say work on the car -- what are you driving? If it's an air wrench or a paint gun, or even a DA or air file, you're going to need a much bigger compressor than a nail gun requires, though either of those compressors are overkill for a nail gun.

Generally, the tool will have a flow at pressure requirement (CFM @ PSI) - make sure your compressor choices can meet or exceed the requirements of your specific tools. The two you are looking at seem like they should be OK for most things but you have to check the specs to know for sure.

 

There are a couple things you want to make sure you do when buying a compressor.
-each compressor and tool has a cfm rating which tells you airflow necessary. you want to get the highest cfm compressor for the tools you need to use.
-do you want a compressor with an oil pan or without? they run quieter with the former.
-if you're doing a lot of work like the floors the 26 gallon tank should be fine, you just have to run it once to fill it up and wait then you should be able to do a lot in one sitting.

 

I have a 32 gallon oiless husky (CH) I got with a bunch of tools for 240 on clearance. If you plan on using it a lot make sure you get an OILED compressor. a 32 gallon oiled compressor will go for around 300-400. Oiled compressors last much long, are quieter, and generally more powerful.





Mike

 

well for car work, prob enough for an air impact wrench to get off lugs to swap out rims or some light maintenance work that may have some stubborn bolts to take off... hmmm maybe i have to stop by lowes to see what their selection???

hmmm oiled... anyone currently have any models they would recommend???