Easy, breezy installation, my fanny!

The 'EZ' Instructions assured me installation was a breeze. Time after time HGTV showed regular folks just like me laying 'floating flooring' in mere hours. The installation guide pointed out that it would take 'novices' about five hours to lay their product.

My response? I guess that would depend on what the definitions of 'easy' and 'novice' are.

My experience was a wee bit different. In fact, it took this 'novice' and one very courageous and devoted son ten hours one day and five the next to get the flooring down. You can see the results above. It's still without all the trim, but at least the floor is in place.

I hope.

It was hardly the mother-son bonding experience I'd hoped for.

I suppose I should have started with a less ambitious project than a room that has cabinetry you have to cut out around, one pantry door, and three other exit doors. The room was small, I told myself. How hard can it be?

Let's just say the phrase 'isn't this a breeze?' wasn't communicated during the flooring fiasco. By the time I'd finished up Sunday after skipping church (I'll have much to atone for this Sunday) I'd ended up destroying a circular saw before I even got to use it, developed 'hand saw wrist' from having to handsaw all of the boards, sustained nicks and cuts from misses, garnered a swollen left knee, and that wasn't the end of my misfortune.

I went to plug the refrigerator back in after moving it a mere six feet from the kitchen to the family room and the unit would not come back on. I unplugged it and waited a respectable amount of time as I'd heard moving a fridge could screw it up and it had to 'settle' before use. I tried again. Nothing. I called the experts.

End result? I have to buy a new stove AND a new refrigerator.

Yesterday I went shopping for appliances. They're being delivered today.

I reckon this means I'd better get that trim on, huh?

Sigh.

I suppose I should look on the bright side. The refrigerator crashing helped me make my decision about the stove.

I'm going with the one that won't take two weeks to deliver, won't require paying someone to come run a gas line to the kitchen and is a tad bit cheaper. The coil-top electric it is.

Thanks to everyone for their input last week. To those of you who have run into home improvement nightmares, I feel your pain. And for those of you whose experience with laminate flooring was pleasant and uneventful, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!

(Just kidding!)

All things considered, I gotta tell you, I'd rather be in Manhattan like the Assassin.

~Bullet Hole waiting for the doorbell to ring and life to return to 'normal'~

P.S. I hear you laughing, Bookmobiler. Hey. I can do normal.