We planned to do the living room first and see how it went because we can always do the hall and master bedroom later. Eventually, we would like to have the laminate from our sliding glass door in the master bedroom to the living room because that is Sarah’s route through the house in all sorts of weather.
We priced products at Lowe’s, HomeDepot, and Levi’s 4 Floors. We found good prices at Lowe’s and HomeDepot, but were not sure that we could install it ourselves. Prices for installation ran from around 3 dollars to 4 dollars a square foot on top of the price for the actual flooring, so we soon decided that we should try it ourselves. Soon after we made the decision we found out that Sean’s dad just installed Lowe's Armstrong Flooring at his house. Well, with his advice and installation kit, we decided we could do it.
Actually, we totally copied and even installed the same brand and color that Paul and Shirley chose. There are a wide variety of glueless laminates that are either in stock or a special order. We chose something in stock, but they had some attractive colors that were a 7 day order. They had a cheaper brand at HomeDepot, but after attending the “How To” class at Lowe’s, we decided to go with their brand, which is Armstrong. They were not running any deals at the time that we noticed, so Sean mentioned a deal he saw at HomeDepot (no interest for a year), so we managed to get that. I think they also run deals on flooring—no interest for six months, etc., but there were no signs up. If you are shopping for flooring, ask questions. You never know what sort of deals they forgot to advertise.
You need a variety of tools and supplies to get started, but you can find that list wherever you decide to buy the flooring. It will also depend on where you plan to install the laminate. When we tackle the master bedroom, we will most likely glue a few boards together in front of the sliding glass door in case the weather and/or Sarah cause some dripping. Some types of laminate require gluing (some versions of Pergo, for example), and there are other types of laminate that look like marble or stone. Those are pretty cool too, and I think they would look nice in a kitchen or bathroom especially, but that is for another year!
We heard conflicting reports about how to prepare the floor. Some said to take off the baseboards, but one gentleman was insistent that we should not do that. Well, we did take off the baseboards. There are also a variety of transitions (between carpeted rooms and the laminate, etc.) that you need to consider. All of those decisions will depend on your own situation, but Sean and I would be glad to let you know what we discovered if it is any help.