Has anyone used the laminate flooring from Costco? Was it easy to install?

[Tap]

I am hiring a contractor to finish a 16X20 room in my house. I am having insulation blown in, tape, texture and paint on the walls and laminate installed with trim. The bid is $2200 in labor. We are having them install the laminate from Costco.

 

I was talking to a friend's husband who offered to help me do the laminate for a couple of hundred dollars. The contractor is charging me $600. The husband is a teacher and likes to do odd jobs in the summer and is an adept handy man. I would love to help do the project and I am on vacation for 2 weeks so I have the time right now.

 

If you installed the laminate yourself, was it fairly easy to do? The room has one closet, and one door. Otherwise is it 'rectangular' with no odd spaces or plumbing to cut around.

 

I would like to save the $400 and I would like to help out a friend, but at the same time....I just want the job done, and done right.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

We installed Pergo w/ glue 10 years ago and the Harmonics click stuff from Costco was a breeze compared to that! My dh and a friend did our dining room/living room in one day.

 

A couple bits of advice:

 

Run your planks perpedicular to your windows. Seams show up if your run them parallel to the windows. Have your contractor/teacher click some planks together and lay them both ways and you will see the difference.

 

Make sure your contractor doesn't whack the edges of the planks too hard. The person who was helping my dh whacked the planks like he was installing hardwood and chipped a few.

 

I think a school teacher could handle the installation.

 

For the $400 you save, you can buy some nice area rugs from Overstock!:);)

[Diana in OR]

We converted the garage to a family room in our old house. I'm thinking it was probably about the size room you are doing. We put in the Costco laminate. Dh did most of it by himself in a day. As those kinds of projects go, it was pretty easy. I wouldn't pay $600 to have laminate floor installed.

[KellyGirl]

We are not huge DIYers, but we put in a click together laminate floor this year. It wasn't from Costco, but I think they are all the same. Our living/dining area is over 200sq ft, the house is older (not level) and there were all kinds of wierd cuts we had to make around moulding and stuff. All that considered, it took us close to 20 hours of labor - all the stuff I read on-line said it should take 4 to 6 hours. BUT, if you have help from someone who has done it before AND a fairly level, squared room, you shouldn't have a problem. Now that I have done it, I would do it again. It was worth the money we saved.