Wrong.  Nothing is ever easy.  Ever.  Especially when it comes to home improvement.

Granted, it's probably the easiest of the types of flooring to install.  But, there are still some "gotchas" you want to watch out for.

Here are some tips that other instructions don't include that will make your job easier:

1.  Use a chalk line to snap a straight line along your starting wall, allowing for the expansion gap (usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch).  Use the line as a guide to line up your first few rows.

2. There may be some confusion as to which part is the "tongue" and which part is the "groove".  This is important since the directions from various manufacturers tell you to start with either the tongue-side or the groove-side facing the wall.  But rather than traditional tongue-and-groove, which has the tongue in the middle of the thickness of the board, newer laminate has the top part of the thickness "shifted" to the side of the bottom part.  So, you somewhat have a tongue on both sides and the groove on both sides.  As a rule of thumb, use the unfinished (bottom) part that sticks out as the tongue.

3. Lay your first row completely.  Then start the second row, staggered, of course, so there are no seams that line up from one row to the next.  In the second row, you will insert the long edge onto the first row, then lay the board flat.  The next piece of the second row will attach by inserting the long edge (just like the first piece), and sliding the board along the row up into place.  And it should just lay down on top of the first piece.  IF the short side of the new board does not simply lay onto the short side of the first piece, then you are laying the floor in the wrong direction (regardless of the directions).  Change from left-to-right or right-to-left and see if that doesn't make a difference!

4.  Make sure you are ending in a closet, if possible, so you can use up odd or short pieces of flooring.

5.  Buy a pull bar.  Don't try to get away without one.  They are cheap, and the last few rows are impossible to do without one.

6.  Do NOT try to cut the floor around trim pieces (like molding around doors).  Because you need to leave the gap, and because the board is tough to cut, it will be much more difficult.  Again, spend the money on one of those offset saws that lets you cut the trim pieces up higher.  You will not regret it.

We hope these tips help you when you install laminate wood flooring.

Linda - http://how.best-free-information.com - The "How" Blog

There is a wide variety of under cabinet lights. You can get a lightbar with LEDs. LEDs emit little to no heat, and use very little electricity, and yet produce quite a bright amount of light. They also last much longer than incandescent or even fluorescent bulbs.

Another variety is called a "puck light". It is a series of individual, round puck-like lights that are small and can be mounted in a variety of patterns. This makes it easy to illuminate certain, specific sections of your counters, either for a brighter workspace, or to highlight decorative elements. They plug in directly to the wall, which eliminates some of the work of hard-wiring.

As for materials, you will need the lighting kit, screwdrivers, drill with appropriate-sized bits, hammer, pencil, and safety glasses. If you choose to recess the lights, you will need a hole saw, or a keyhole saw. As always, refer to the instructions that come with your specific kit.

Clear both the counter below the cabinet, and remove the contents from the bottom shelf of the cabinets. Next, plan the layout of your lights. Some manufacturers have specific instructions about the spacing of the lights (for heat-emitting reasons), so pay attention to the instructions.

You want to place the lights as close to the front of the cabinet as possible. This gives the best lighting on the counter, and the facing of the cabinet can hide the lights and wires. You want to hide the wires and the unit that will plug into the wall. (Running the wires down behind a refrigerator is a good choice.) However, you may need to drill a small hole into the bottom of the cabinet and have the wires run through the cabinets themselves.

Mark the position of the lights with your pencil. Position the fixture, with the wire pointing toward the back of the cabinet. Mount the lights with either the included screws, or wood screws. Use wire tacks to secure the wires from the power supply to the light fixtures, again, as close as possible to the front of the cabinet. Hide excess cord inside or in between the cabinets. Once all units are installed, connect them to the wires and test.

If you are installing an under counter TV or radio, be sure to place the lights with enough room to allow the TV/radio unit in between the lights.

Linda - http://how.best-free-information.com - The "How" Blog

There's a cheap but effective way to resolve that, but it requires that your curtains have a valance.  A valance is that "second" curtain that is really short that covers the top of the curtain and the curtain rod.

You can secure a piece of cardboard, cut to fit between the wall and the valance.  Place the cardboard strip so that it is oriented horizontally, and fits all the way from the wall to the back of the valance.  You can literally secure it with something as simple as masking tape.

The strip should be invisible to everyone unless they are standing directly under the curtain looking up.  The nice thing about this is that it is hidden from everyone, so even in a very stylish home (where you would never dream of using 'cardboard' in your decor), it works unseen.  And it is extremely effective, which is nice in rooms like a media room where any glare from the window may interfere with viewing the television.

Linda - http://how.best-free-information.com - The "How" Blog

I have never cut a stair stringer before, but I get the basic concept...use a carpenter's square to make a series of ascending L-cuts for the stair tread and the rise. (Horizontal distance is called 'run', vertical is called 'rise'.)

But trying to decide how many steps, and how big to cut them (what angle, etc.) was difficult.

Fortunately I found an on-line calculator for figuring out how to cut a stair stringer. You can find it HERE.

Using that calculator, you can try all kinds of variations on number of steps, rise, etc., and it will calculate where to make the cuts, and even show you an example of the stringer, including the treads. It provides every measurement you can want.

It certainly made my first experience successful. My steps are now on the deck, and they look great, and they are much more comfortable. (8 steps instead of 6)

I hope the calculator helps you if you need to cut a stair stringer!

Linda - http://how.best-free-information.com - The "How" Blog