laying down a new office floor

by Barbara M

We have a small home office / library / homework room / guest room that had a worn out 10 year old wall to wall carpet. My husband had built a beautiful wall unit and created a murphy style queen size bed that is positioned on hinges in the accodian door closet. We decided to pull out the existing worn carpet and lay 8mm wood laminate flooring.
*Options I considered for this project:
We had every intention of ripping the carpet out ourselves and my husband was not worried about laying the floor on his own. We needed to save money.
*Questions and unexpected events that arose during the project:
Two things were nerve wracking. One was the small areas that presented a problem between the wall and the built in unit. How were we going to grab the old carpet up and lay down the new floor with such tiny maneuving space. The space was large enough to see the quality of work, but too small to actually perform good work in. The second problem was the finishing work and angling the bullnose molding in which is supposed to top the floor and meets the wall and wall unit.
* Cost Comments:
we were given the cost for the job and did not work with a sf price
*My motivation to do this project:
The carpet was so tired looking especially now with the rest of the room looking just the way I wanted.
*Project Steps:
We spoke to MANY friends and relatives. Somehow we uncovered the name of an installer who actually allowed us to purchase the materials wholesale and gave us an incredible installation price. The whole room was completed beautifully for just over $500.!
Advice:
Understand all the steps involved in the project by talking to people who have done a similiar job. Actually look at the parts that you'll be working with so you get an appreciation for the delicacy of the details.
Materials:
8mm laminate floor and finishing - $330.00