Hi Eileen

Sure you can nail it. We have lots of clients commercial and residential who nail. A simple brand nailer would make easy work of it. Our product will go up just fine. We ship from Maine so our wood has seen cold weather too :)

As for layout, this version is all the same width. We suggest lay it out on the floor a few rows at a time, move them around depending on the shades to your desire and then you just have to trim ends to fit your wall or space. Everything will be the same width and thickness.

Hope that helps.
Rob