It didn't go

quite as we expected. 

I have one experience with laminate flooring.  I was around fifty and kneeling was much easier. We placed Pergo laminate tiles, not fake wood floor, in the kitchen. It was a nightmare.  Steven has more experience and I relied on him to know what to do.

As we laid the first course, he reassured me it would get easier as we progressed.  That was somewhat true after we agreed to live with a gap in the second course. But by the time we reached the angled wall there was no hope. I tried and tired to get that second course against the angled wall to stay together. It just wouldn't work.

We decided that there must be too much of a hump in the floor.  I spent a sleepless night thinking about what to do.  I knew neither of us have the energy or stamina to prep that floor perfectly flat.  My goal is to contain dust and make the floor easy to clean. After reading about various cement sealers, and VOC and ventilation and more prep work, we agreed that the quickest solution is carpet.

Lumbers Liquidators accepted the 27 boxes as a return with no restocking fee.  That was a relief.  We picked up a couple of cheap (and yes, you get what you pay for) rugs at Home Depot and came home, after picking up some dog food on the way. 

Sideline: Frannie had pancreatitis years ago. She eats a low fat kibble. It's pricey compared to Purina. Before we moved, I always bought the food from a local shop as any conscientious locavore would.  (I know I am taking liberty with that term, still..) The food, actually, is only available through independent pet shops. An online search revealed two shops near our new abode. One was on the way home from Home Depot.

"Money is different here," I told Steven as we pulled into the parking lot. I was right. The upscale shop must have a high overhead because the food was twenty percent more expensive. Time to find new food.  It won't help to try the other shop, they share the same name and I am sure have the same pricing. Bummer.

Back to the floor project. We moved more stuff to make room for the plastic underlayment (6ml poly) moisture barrier. We caulked the edges of the walls and floor and a crack and now, today, can place the plastic and lay down the rugs. We would have had to move all that stuff to make room for the laminate, for sure, but now we won't have to be on our hands and knees for hours whacking planks of laminate together.

PS. Don't buy cheap laminate.