A:  18ga Flooring cleats, which this nailer uses, are designed for dense, exotic hardwoods like this. I must recommend first, confirming with the manufacturer of your particular flooring, the type of fasteners they recommend using so you do not void the warranty on the flooring before using this product.

A:  Yes, you can use this nailer on 3/4" hardwood flooring.

A:  The advantage on 18g vs 16g is that on harder wood or thinner wood it won't split the boards. For 3/4 thick usually you always use 16g so it could hold stronger but if it splits the tong then need to use 18g.

A:  Replacement Base Plates are available for purchase on www.homedepot.com. The part number is RP18GLCNBP. Thank you!

A:  Higher gauge is a smaller diameter or thinner piece of metal/nail/cleat. It is opposite. For 3/4 inch Brazilian Cherry hard wood, the standard is 18 gauge L cleats from a floor nailer. 15.5 gauge sounds way too big if you are using a floor nailer. If you are using a "gun", you have to use one that shoots finish nails and NOT a brad nailer. Brad nails will not hold and the wood planks will squeak after they come loose. 16 gauge is OK for finish nails from a "gun". Your floor is half as thick as mine, so I would think that 15.5 gauge is way to much (too large of a cleat). Make sure your floor nailer has the right plates. If not, it probably was not designed to work with your floor thickness.

A:  This nailer is the 18 gauge L Cleat Flooring Nailer and will install 3/8"-3/4" flooring and drives 18 gauge L Cleats. There should be a base plate installed on the nailer in addition to the two plates that come in the box. Always check with your flooring manufacturer to see what type of nail they recommend for the installation. For 3/8" flooring it will likely be recommended that you use an 18 gauge cleat, in which case, you do have the correct nailer. If you are missing a part please contact Home Depot Customer Care.