tim's journal

this is going into your SF condo? it's not worth it if you're just prepping for selling... we're not doing much to our place before putting it up next friday.

know anyone who wants a 3br 2ba 1825 sq ft townhome with PA schools ?

;)

we did put laminate in our new house, with mannington on san antonio in PA. Come over and see it, it's getting finished today.

Enoch, that was my conclusion as well... what's your place going to list for? Christine, I did see ifloor!

I bought Harmonics laminate flooring at Costco with the coupon and it is a great price.

I have had problems getting in touch with Harmonics Customer Services number. I have called serveral times and always get an answering machine. I have had problems finding a local dealer so was unable to get the moldings unless i can get in touch with Harmonics :<( too bad they don't seem to care about their own products

Quick Step originate in Europe and entered the US under the name of Quick Step, the web site is http://quick-step.com

OOPS, that is http://www.quick-step.com

I bought 1,000 sq ft and the fine print says that the warranty is only effective if you use their underfloor which sells at Costco for $30 per install kit. I don't need 7 install kits but I do need the Harmonics moisture barrier for the warranty. The toll free number just rings and rings or it is busy. Anyone know if you can just buy the Harmonics underfloor without having to buy the whole $30 install kit?

I also tried to contact the special order # 1-888-459-9220 as I need the transition parts but no one is answering - I contacted Costco and told them and they gave me a different number, whic apparently is Quick Step, but after talking with them, they told me, that they are not making parts for Harmonics - so I am still stuck - I guess I will have to go to Lowe's or Home Depot and check their special parts - too bad that this did not work out ..... did anyone else have success with this special order number ?

it's really not worth the trouble. let someone put it in if you want.

we got multiple offers, over ask ($769K), and am sale pending.

thank God!

Had finally a call from Harmonics - the email is customer_service@cncnet.com

I purchased the ROYAL CHERRY from COSTCO (in Fremont) and installed it in my kitchen, dining room and adjacent hallway (200 SQFT). It took most of the morning to do, but was very, very easy. I tried using a handsaw at first (mistake) but then made good progress with an electric jigsaw. I never used the "tapping block", I just snapped a row together - then clipped that row into the finished floor (and so on). The job looks really professional, no seams anywhere. The floor is super slick, I'm careful when only wearing socks or I'll fall on my ass. Over all, the job cost me $275 and looks fantastic. I give the product an A+

Have any of you tried to put this flooring on stairs. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Are people putting this Costco flooring in all levels of homes? I had a salesman almost laugh at me when I mentioned it. Maybe an eager salesman and wanted me to buy the hardwood. But i would like to hear from you folks. I dont want to reduce the value of my new home. I would think this flooring would be a lot better than just having carpet. ?? Please advise as I am ready to get started. Thanks so much.

I installed the Costco Royal Cherry in two of my bedrooms and was in the process of doing the other two rooms. I have run into a stumbling block cause it seems that the stock in the stores are very low to having none. We have contacted many stores and apparently you can not order this item as a special order item. Customer service in the stores that we visited are poor, they don't or won't contact other stores. We did find one that is a little distant but went out of his way to make a call. Anyways, we are absolutely satisfied with the flooring, ease of installation and would highly recommend it.

Do any of you have pictures of your new flooring. If so, I would love to see some of the floors that have been installed. I am looking seriously at the oak flooring at Costco.

I put the Harmonics flooring on 2 out of 3 floors in my Brownstone home, including the stairs. This was last year and we are now considering the remaining 3rd floor of the house now, just waiting for another coupon. I purchased my moldings at a local carpet/floor dealer that sells Quick-step, it is an exact match and the vendor provided much better customer service than Harmonics or Quick-Step direct. The stairs need to be glued down and it turns out the stair molding (stair nose) needs to be nailed in order for it to stay on nicely. But the whole job took less than a week, preparing the floor was by far the most challenging. I did the entire thing all by myself too, not saying that females don't normally do this kind of work but having never used a saw before this project, I did damn good. I used a table saw for the most part and jig saw for the rest. I think it has dramatically improved the look of our home... Karie (Portland OR)

Karie, I was inspired by what you wrote. Thanks for the input. I too want to do all three floors. How did you learn to do the stairs? Is their info that I could get that would help me. Also did you go from room to room in one continuous flow of the laminate. Where did you get the information telling/showing you just how to do this installation? Also what time of the year do the Costco coupons come out? I called and the gal and she at local Costco store said only once a year and that was in June. She did not really seem to know that much about it. Thanks

One more question. Are the stairs slippery with this flooring on them? Thanks

Today at 1:20 PM I called the 800 number for the Harmonics laminate to ask a couple of questions. Within 15 minutes I received a call back from their customer service. I asked if this was a product manufactured by Quick-Step and where can I buy accessories (base trim, etc.) and she said that while it is true that it is manufactured by another company she could not confirm nor deny it is Quick-step and to take a sample board to any flooring company to match trim pieces or I could order through them. I asked if I could pick the accessories up at their Orville, Ca. location and she said yes, but only on Fridays. She also said that the flooring it self is available in all Costco stores nation wide, including Alaska and Hawaii. Costco is the only retailer to date to sell this line and when I asked where I could go if Costco decides to discontinue it, again she said she could not answer that now.

All in all I was pleased that customer service returned the call very quickly and that the product is available at all Costco stores YEAR ROUND and not seasonal but am concerned, what good is the 25 year warranty if Costco stops retailing it and it is no longer available at any retailer?

I guess if one feels the product is as good as the warranty states than it is a safe gamble. I myself feel that if it is indeed the Quick-Step 800 series and the fact that I can find that product locally for 3.09 or better yet on-line for 2.19 a sq. ft. that the .62 cents a foot difference for Quick-Step branded on line is worth the worries over the possibilities that the harmonics warranty may not be worth anything.

Just my opinion.

Hi Mary,

The actual installation on the floor is very simple, once the underlayment is down, start at one end and work your way across, do a full row before starting the next at the end of the first row, cut your last board to fit then use that board to start your next row, that way, the creases will all be in different places. I did use a continuous floor whenever possible, closets, room changes ect. except my kitchen. The kitchen already had a sealed linoleum on it and had talked with a contractor and decided to lay the laminate right over the top. it worked out great, no underlayment there, it did make the kitchen slightly higher than the dining room though so I used a molding (sorry can't remember the name) but it is put inbetween the two floors and it allows for a very smooth transition from the kitchen to the dining room. It made for challenging floor base moldings though but it was worth it. As for the stairs, I did watch a neighbors video (Shaw Laminate) that gave me the idea of how its done and I talked to a home-depot girl who told me the scoop. do not use underlayment, glue the laminate directly to the stairs they recommended glue call "Liquid Nails" it comes in a tube and you use a caulking gun to put it down. Do it the same way you do the floor except be sure to leave enough space for the stair noses to lay flat on the surface for stability. The challenging part is the get the laminate as close to the edge of the wall as possible, you do not need to leave any gaps as you are glueing, no need for expansion space. I used 14 round in the crease of each stair and a stair nose on the ends. (the stair noses are expensive) no matter where you go. I paid $26 per stair nose, each nose covered capped two stairs... the stairs seemed to be more expensive than my entire floor but it was worth it. It's not slippery to me, but my Chihuahua is a little scared of the stairs, he decided to simply stop using them, which works for us, as he's a runner and this immediately stopped the running out the door problem. My advice is to just go for it, you dont have to be perfect as long as you plan on installing molding, the molding is very forgiving, my istallation looks very professional and I truely am a beginner.

That was supposed to say quarter round in the creases. :-)

BTW - I product I am using is the Harmonics - Cherry which is the exact same product as Quik-Step U816 - Select Cherry. I've had a dealer compare the two its exactly the same, same box (different name) same underlayment, same warrantee. He was also able to give me the quik-step catalog and I was able to order from him, repair kits, cleaning kits (made especially for our floor) and all the moldings I needed. Just go to the quik-step website and look for your local dealer.

Thanks Karie,
I certainly appreciate all that you wrote and I will print it and add it to my folder. If you have a digital camera I would love to see the stairs. I am so eager to do this project, and your message the other day inspired me so very much. I will try and find a video as you mentioned and that will be very helpful also. My husband willl be helping with this project, so that will make it a bit easier. I am doing all the research however,as he sees no reason to bother changing out the almost new carpet. But... he does not clean the carpet and so... anyway he will help out when the actual project starts. I thought it might be better to wait and purchase the laminate when Costco has the coupon sale. I hope that they stock a lot of this stuff as I will need quite a bit of it. How do you like it in the bedrooms? I hope to do them all. Thanks again for all the great info.

Hi folks - if you want, feel free to move to conversation to http://laminateflooring.oncloud8.com. I will make a copy of this stuf into the Costco Harmonics folder.... one of these days.

Oh, on the forum, let me know if you were on this thread and you registered. I will assign your posts back to you. Then you can edit/delete, etc. as you please.

Harmonics flooring is not a good product and their customer service (if you want to call if that) is terrible. One month after installing the floor in the kitchen, there are scratches all over it === bubbles where drops of water might have not been noticed right off. We used their subflooring and did everything we were suppose to do. Gonna try Small Claims Court.... Pergot (?sp) is the absolute best laminate flooring on the market.

I just bought Harmonics flooring from Costco for my office. The last person said they had trouble with bubbles where water had been and scratches all over it. Has anyone else had this problem? Also, someone was having trouble getting royal cherry, and I know the Costco in Bend Oregon has a good supply. And last, is the underflooring required over a linoleum floor?

Report back:
Mine came out fine too with the exception of one seam in the middle of the floor where I must have tapped too hard somewhere and there is a slight buckle the length of the floor. I intend to get some extremely fine grit sandpaper and painstakingly sand it down to, but not below, the finish. I had also intended to do my kitchen and had actually bought enough laminate to do it but after considering drips from pet water bowls, rinsing hands, cooking, etc. I decied not to risk water damage and I just tiled the kitchen floor.

Wish you post on this site some of the beautiful floors you have made. Would be so fun to see them. i would really love to see a stairs done in this, if anyone has one to post.

I did not use the underlayment over the linoleum floor. The Linoleum provided the needed cushion and that floor (the kitchen) is the quietest of all the floors, not to mention the surface was the easiest to work with, (very flat). However, because I didn't use the underlayment, i may have problems if there are ever any warrantee issues as the underlayment is required for the warantee to be valid.

Mary, i'll send you some pictures, i don't have them right now, but can easily take some. I broke down and started my 3rd floor project this weekend, I finished my bedroom/closet, the hallway, and the landing on the stairs, I still have the stairs and a small bedroom to go. But I can take pictures of the 1st floor stairs, I did them in April, earlier this year.

The pic would not come through?? Does your furniture stay put on this flooring? Boy you are making good headway on your floors! So you did not wait until the coupon came out? Ha, that sounds like me. Do you know when they are coming out. I have heard in July and again in Feb. Does that sound right.

I am considering the Harmonics flooring for my kitchen, but am concerned about water. Someone said he had a lot of bubbles and scratches. Has anyone had good luck with it in the kitchen?

Karie--have you noticed any scratches or bubbles so far?

Thanks!

Christina

What colors does this flooring come in. I put down the Costco flooring from two years ago (Alegro).

correction. I installed Allegria laminate flooring from Costco two years ago it is holding up well.I left several lengths outside in the weather these past two years. No water damage noted.
Is this Harmonics laminate as good a product?

I installed Allegria laminate flooring from Costco a few year back too, I have almost enough left over to do another room, I need two more bundles, does anyone have any left over that I could buy? E-mail me, TawniaVan@cs.com

HELP just installed the Harmonics/Costco product and my dog peed on it the other night, low and behold the edges are lifting, I cannot pull out the piece as it is under my installed counter, shoulda coulda woulda on that but, any suggestions on how to make the piece flat again?

Mike, can't make it flat again, has to come out. Next time use a water based glue/sealer (available at home depot and others) in the groove side of the plank. When the sealer dries it is just about impervious (unless long time soaking is involved) to pee or any other liquid assult. I have about 5000 sq feet of Allegria installed and 6 animal that regularly upchuk, hairballs, pee, etc. Easy to clean.

Sam's Club carries Allegria flooring by special order- you can see further info on their web site, running search on laminate.

Does anyone know how often Costco does the $5 off coupon? I'd like to get started with replacing the 30 year old carpeting in our house but don't want to buy it if its about to go on sale.

I have the "Harmonics" flooring and need a "Stair Nose", is the 1-888459-9220 still a good number for any additional pieces needed, such as a stair nose?

I installed in my kitchen ontop of linoleum. After three weeks, I lifted it up and put the subflooing in. The tapping sound without the underfloor plastic/padding was driving me nuts. It has a much more uniform sound and is really nice. For the price and with a HUGE warranty, I dont think you can go wrong with this Harmonics floor. I installed about 1200 feet throughout the house and have had many compliments. It made the house have a completely different and better feel.

I am concidering laminate floors but am concerned about chemical sensitivity(formaldehyde). Anyone have any problems?

The best product on the market is the Kronotex! Good pricing, awesome colors, the best i've ever seen and i deal with alot of laminate. Kronotex is the largest producing company in the world in regards to laminate flooring.

JP

Just recently picked up 1200 sq feet of the royal cherry lam. Did a lot of research and for the price, since it is exactly the same as quick-step, it was well worth it. The moisture warranty reeled me in, since most others only have a wear warranty. I did some scratch tests and it is very durable, dropped hammers and even direct blows with hammers of different weights. Most of damage was a small dent, but surface was still intact and unscratched, very impressed seeing as real hardwood or vinyl would not even take that kind of beating well. Since I have found a lot of these postings so helpful I decided I would post so that it may help others. I plan on laying the harmonics in every room, except bathrooms, laundry room, and thinking about excluding the kitchen also. Refridge, dishwasher makes me nervous, since yesterday, just loading the dishwasher, there were drips of water all over the tile floor, and I could see future problems of laminate failure. I would also use the harmonics install kit if it is avail. I compared price vs sq feet, and you get 150 sq feet for 30 bucks, while others at home depot or lowes will give you 90 sq ft for 20 bucks. 20 cents vs 24 cents sq foot, harmonics is cheaper, and you get extra spacers, pry bar, and tapping block. and if you are doing a large area, you do need the extra spacers, since more is better than less, with the walls not ever being perfectly straight. Also noticed that the other underlayment options avail were only 2mm where harmonics is about 3mm. I cut a sample and went to the stores and it is definitely thicker, which translates to better sound control and forgiveness in floor imperfections. I decided to do what someone suggested, and use white qtr round mldg, instead of buying the expensive stuff. after painting and painters caulk, it will just blend in with the other wall mldg. The install instructions are kind of confusing, and I've installed formica flooring before, so I thought it would be the same. Something about rotating locks, that i was able to figure out after searching pergos instructions for their flooring that have the uniclic joint. normally i would start against the wall, but not so with harmonics, start about 3 feet away from the wall, so you can put your weight on the first row with your knees ( like the picture shows)and pull in the second row as you are pushing down. after 3 rows, then you can push against the wall and keep on going, now that you will have enough space to get behind and still place your knees on the flooring. originally could only figure on putting together one whole row and then snapping together with previous row, but would have too much stress on the laminate face since there is no bevel to eliminate the friction. rotating comes in after you have the first row in and you are working on the planks that have 2 sides that you have to try to connect. forget that tapping block too, a good way to delam and cause future problems. put weight (a full box of laminates) on the already finished areas, this will keep the joint you just did intact, and not snap back out and separate. click the small end in and with your weight on the already installed row, pull the plank at a slight angle. this should twist the previously installed plank a bit, but not enough to break the joint you just made. after the long side slides into place, then you can press down and click into place. it is more of a twisting lock on the small end rather than rotating, but same same i guess. since failures are caused from improper install, one must be carefull with these locks and install properly, minimizing unncessary stress on the joints/locks. Hope this helps anyone. still have half a room to finish, it has been raining for 4 days, and I want to install the flooring with proper humidity, not above 60%.

After looking at all the wood nad laminate products out there, I have come to the conclusion
that I will never buy laminate. No matter what Pergo does (or the other manufacturers) laminate is still just a PHOTOGRAPH of wood glued on top of compressed sawdust. It sounds like plastic when you walk on it, and the pattern repititions and unifromity give it away as an imposter. It's basically just big pieces of Formica (remember that stuff?) on the floor.

Now, I realize that real wood is higher maintenance, but I would rather deal with that than knowing that I've got fake wood on my floor.

For a utility area, I suppose a laminate makes sense.

However, I did lots of research and found that 5-ply engineered wood is as dimensionally stable as any laminate. Solid wood, while nice and thick, can expand over large areas, and is not suitable for slab-on-grade applications.

I chose Pecan as one of the hardest woods, since I have kids. Also, it is nearly twice as hard as oak.

I've been reading all the comments, I've been installing the harmonics flooring. So far I love it.. I'm using the maple. When purchasing and extra few boxes the other day the sales person informed me that while the harmonics co. has a 25 warranty, Costco warranty's them for life! One of the perks of being a Costco member.. Just thought I'd pass that along.

I purchased the Royal Cherry color from Costco in Feb. and have stored it in my basement while the a new family room was being built. The floor is being installed today, and the contractor is having truoble joining the seams. I called the service department and they stated the floor should be placed in the room for a minimum of 48 hours prior to installation. Has anyone had similar problems. Thanks

This is in response to Marc's comments on 10/27...there's nothing worse than a "wood snob"!! I've had wood floors and decided that between the kids and the dogs, having dreadful looking wood floors was NOT better than a great looking laminate. We put laminate down over the entire main floor of our house and have been thrilled. We even put it in the kitchen! After a small disaster with a leaky dishwasher, we easily replaced the flooring in front of it ourselves and, VOILA, looked new again. I am also not embarrassed any longer since the dogs can't scratch it up. It also helped us sell our house in 21 days at $15K more than our agent expected. Snobbery will get you nowhere! (PS I hope you asked how often your wood floors can be refinished. Some can only withstand one to two refinishes!)

I recently had 40 boxes of Harmonics installed by a contractor, using the installation kits. In less than 1 week, there are about a dozen places where the edges are showing chips and cracks of the laminate. As near as I can tell, the plank on one side of the joint was slightly (.001" or so) higher than the adjoining plank, and when a shoe slid across, it caught the edge and caused it to chip. It seems to be more of a product quality control issue rather than an installation problem. Any comments?

Thanks to the comments on this page, I was able to make an informed decision and choose Harmonics. After getting quotes on Wilsonart and other floorings it became a no-brainer to go with the Harmonics. I call the customer service number on the side of the self install kit and was able to get all of my questions answered, and when I did leave a message, I received a return call within 15 minutes.

Is really that easy to install?

Any idea when they will have another coupon? I'm interested in doing this in a 38x14 room. I assume thats 532 sq. feet. A couple of questions do you have to remove the molding around the walls? If I lay it over laminate do I need the moisture pad?

Any help is appreciated

My husband and I have been calling and visiting different Costco looking for Royal Cherry. We are in need of just one box (7 planks) to finish our house. Please if anyone is intersted in selling us a box of the Royal Cherry we would REALLY appreciate it. You can contact us at unclejoe1109@sbcglobal.net
Thanks!
Joe and Marisa

Hello,

Any idea's for trim on the laminate flooring where the carpet and flooring come together. I have a cement slab foundation and am not sure what I need to purchase. Any assistance greatly appreciated.

I just finished putting down 600 sqft of the harmonics cherry color in and I did it with a friend in 10hrs on Saturday. Not too bad to put down. Question about cleaning it...what should I use? I got some stuff at Lowes $9 for 1/2 gallon but wondering if it's worth it or what you guys have been using to clean your floors.

HARMONICS FLOORING AT SLIDING DOORS, HELP PLEASE.

I'm installing Harmonics flooring in a room with sliding glass door to the outside. Directions call for running the underlayment 5/8" up the wall. How does this work in front of glass doors?

What method is used to attach quarter-round to cover the gap? At what point do I put in waterproof acrylic caulk?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Hi:
Like so many of you I too am leaning toward Costco's Harmonics brand. This would be going onto a slab, kitchen and dining room, so the underlayment is absolutely necessary and would certainly be used. About 280 sq. ft. total.
There seem to be some mixed reviews here on Harmonics. Am I about to make a big mistake? Being able to do the entire job for under $500 is a very attractive proposition, but I know what "penny wise and pound foolishness" can mean. Any direction anyone out there can render would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks. Happy Thanksgiving.
John G.

thanks for all of your comments. i just bought my first home and it comes with carpet. i have a dog that has gotten older and grumpy---he's peepeeing all over the place. I also have a 3 year old. Does anyone have this product and has also experienced "accidents" on it and it survived? Thanks. I don't like tile and its so permanent so i'm hoping the laminate is okay.

To anyone who wants to know what to clean a laminate floor with - use "squeaky clean" - it is fabulous for hardwood floors and laminate. And for Lisa, with the dog pee pee problem - I had the same concern and was told by the Shaw laminate people that you should not let any type of liquid sit on the floor for any length of time or it will buckle.
I have a question for anyone out there who has laminate flooring - I had a really bad installer and he left a lot of sloppy detail work around door ways - I had to have another person come and fix it all - what amess. My question is - there is one 12" piece end that doesn't butt tightly up against the piece next to it - Can I seal that with something so it doesn't fill with dirt over the years? Any suggestions - is there a laminate repair kit? Where do I get it? Any ideas are greatly appreciated.
Ann

Ann S.,

As long as the laminate floor you are using is the glueless type, you can use the special crowbar tool that comes with the installation kit and a hammer to pull the 12" piece end to butt up against the piece next to it. (Just light tapping against the crowbar tool should work.) If the piece end was not cut right, a new piece end should be cut for installation.

If you are not able to do this, there is an option to fill the gap with clear silicon; not as asthetically pleasing, but will help prevent dirt in the gap.

Good luck.

Pete,

Don't know if you solved your issue regarding the moulding at the patio glass door. Normally, you should use an end moulding (about a 1/2" end moulding) instead of a quarter round to cover the gap, as the end moulding will lay flat. Use an adhesive such as liquid nail to glue the end moulding against the metal frame below the door (not the door). The waterproof acrylic caulk is filled in the gap between the floor and patio door (before you install the end moulding) only if you have a potential water issue, such as installation of laminate flooring in a bathroom. Let the caulk dry completely before installing the end moulding.

Ann S.,

What is "squeaky clean"? Where can I buy it? Can I buy it online (do you have the link?)

Thanks

Amazed of the negative comments regarding customer service. I called to get info. on moulding and installation kit and Rep. picked the phone on the first ring...hum go figure?

Folks,

I am just about finished with a basement project (aprox 1500sq ft of finished space). I decided to use the Harmonics product for 2 reasons; the first was obviously the price (about half the competition with the Costco coupon), and second, I saw this product being used in a Retail store in Vancouver Canada. The amount of traffic and moisture here was incredible, therefore I was convinced. I installed about 900 sq feet, all by myself, in about 2 days, using the installation kits (anyone need a thousand spacers :) ) I am really impressed, and it looks awesome despite looking like a laminate floor. I have installed it in the bar area with a Fridge and Dishwasher, I even butted it right up against my patio door. My next phase is to put this in the bathroom and use the acrylic caulking method to seal against water damage ( I may try the glue method for locking each piece together as well). Those of you out there worried about water damage, I was seriously considering making it the shower base (the product could stand up to the abuse for a few years, and it is easy to replace boards in small areas)I suppose the only reason why I wanted to post my 2 cents was because my home has very expensive Bruce Flooring on the main floor. I absolutely hate the Bruce flooring because it has the resiliency of Kleenex. If I look at the floor the wrong way it gets damaged. I paid easily 6 times what I did for the Harmonics, and I assure everyone I will never buy Bruce again (I bet the instructions say not reccommended for traffic areas, wet areas, or children and pets). I am so impressed with the Harmonics floors, I would consider it an option for a dream home, unless I had so much cash I could afford Pecan or something more rare, but I doubt that will hapen. Anyone ever put this in a garage / workshop? I am game, especially at $1.50 a sqaure foot... I love glued sawdust with a picture of wood on top!

Thanks everyone, I found the info I was searching for in the thread (need those pesky transition strips to but up to my carpetted areas (that are more expensive and not as nice)

-p

I have just installed 1800 sf of harmonics ( which is really quick-step. I have installed both in the last year)in maple. ( both my local costco stores have 3 colors in stock) I love it and so does my wife. Easy as heck to clean up. I bought the padding and install tools at Lowes and some at Home Depot. For the stair nosing I bought a trim pack from Home Depot that is designed for another brand. The price was right and the match was good. I also bought 2ft wide persian style rug on a roll from home depot ($2.17/ft) to go down the center of the stairs for a great finish. Its surged on the edges and comes in a variety of colors.
Also Lowes has a product similar to the laminate flooring only it has stone or tile on it. Thinking about using this in the entry and kitchen in our home.

After researching a lot, I am going to go with the Costco Harmonics flooring as well....have only about 280 square feet, and Im planning on actually putting a huge area rug over it anways...so if it ends up having problems, Ill only be out less than a grand.
I bought a box, and got some samples of Wilsonart and Alloc, and the joint system actually seems better on the Harmonics flooring...and the actual top part looks more like wood as well.
Im going tomorrow to stock up...does Costco sell the underlayment as well? I seemed to miss that!

I purchased the Mannington MLoc and just love it. I first planned to only do the den but decided to add the hall...that's where the problem (question) is. The hall has many many doorways and I don't know if I'm supposed to lay the boards along the wall and then piece them into the doorway or rip the boards all the way down the hall so that the midpoint of the doorways are the actual "starting" points...is this confusing? I thought it would be a breeze til I actually laid the boards down and realized the issue...I'm no flooring or any other kind of contractor...help!

My hubby and I are going to install the Harmonic floor in our living room over the weekend. When we pulled the old carpet up this evening, we found that we have concrete sub-floor. What do we need to know about preparing the sub-floor prior to installation (besides underlayment)? Thanks in advance.

I JUST FOUND OUT TONIGHT THAT COSTCO IS HAVING THE COUPONS FOR THE HARMONICS LAMINATE FLOORING IN THIS FEBURARY'S MAILER THAT WE AS MEMBERS RECEIVE EACH MONTH REGARDING WEEKLY SALE ITEMS. IT WILL BE FOR $5.00 OFF THE STANDARD PRICE OF $27.99 OR SO. THOUGHT THAT MAY HELP SAVE A COUPLE OF DOLLARS FOR SOMEONE.

Sharon,

I hope I understand your question. If the den is already completed, you would continue the hallway from where you ended the den, with or without a transition moulding at the den doorway. This is done for a more integrated look.

You would use transition mouldings at each of the other doorways along the hall to cover the expansion gap necessary.

Jess,
Just a thorough sweeping of the floor is all, after you remove the carpet and carpet tackstrip. Minor unevenness of the floor can just be covered with the underlayment. Otherwise, a plaster patching/leveling mix can be used for deeper areas of uneveness on the concrete floor.

I am so glad to find this site, I want to lay down laminate flooring thru out my home. I thought my husband and I would start in the extra bedroom so we could "practice" and make most of our mistakes where it wouldn't be as noticable. I wanted to do the entire house including the kitchen and the bath. Is this a mistake? I noticed postings that mentioned water damage is a possiblility in these areas. A guy at Home Depot recommended gluing everything down in those rooms ( We are on a foundation with old(!) hardwood floors that are beyond repair but not too warped.(1930's home)He also recommended gluing each tab as we snap the flooring together, sounds messy and I thought we wouldn't be able to replace planks that are glued, if something happened. Any ideas or comments are appreciated. We have done just about everything is this old house from plumbing to roofing but I am a little intimidated about this job. I don't want it to look like an amateur did it.

Kathy,
Don't be intimidated by the job, since it's glueless you can adjust each piece many times before moving on to the next piece. (I recommend cutting the end pieces slightly longer, and trimming a little at a time to fit if necessary.)

Standing water should be wiped up immediately on any laminate floor. Any amount of water that won't evaporate within a few minutes should be wiped up.

It is your personal choice of glueing or not. Clean up during install with water-based glue/sealer is easy, just a lightly damp rag.

If you glue the planks it will help limit water damage but you would still have to be careful of standing water. If a few planks get scratched or damaged, you may have to replace most of the glued area, intead of just the damaged planks if you didn't glue. (So, both ways has its pros and cons.)

I've done 2 kitchens and a half bath with laminates and have not heard any problems for several years already. (Albeit the kitchens and bath with laminates other than Harmonics.) I did install Harmonics in a family room and was please with the ease of install.

For the bathroom, whether you glue the planks or not, you should still apply silicone chaulking at the expansion gaps near the wall, cabinets, and under the toilet. Let the caulking dry completely before covering them with moulding, etc.

I recommend researching a little more on the internet, visiting Home Depot, Lowes, etc., to get more comfortable with the installations process, e.g., sawing part of the bottom doorjamb trim so the planks go underneath, use of the different types of mouldings (transition, end, etc.).

I am getting ready to install the Harmonics oak laminate flooring over a concrete slab (about 200 square feet). I bought the flooring at Costco, but the store did not carry the harmonics installation kit, which, according to the installation instructions, is required for the warranty to be valid. Any ideas where I might find the installation kit? Also, this laminate floor is going to be right next to a real red oak floor. Any ideas how to make the transition between the two types of flooring less visible or obvious? Thanks

Kevin,
Did you try another Costco, or their customer service number on their website? They are available at most Costco that carry the laminate. The kit is complete with the moisture barrier/underlayment, shims, tapping block, and crowbar; highly recommended to get it from Costco.

There is a pretty significant difference between the appearance of the Harmonics oak laminate and real red oak. I would suggest at least to have the laminate installed in the same lengthwise direction as your existing oak flooring.

Thanks for the info about researching , now we know what we are getting ourselves into --my husband and I spent almost 2 hours in Lowes today! That was after an hour in Costco checking out their floor. I am so glad that you suggested to Kevin to contact Costco for the underlayment etc. If I purchase the underlayment Lowes carries(Armstrong Brand) it comes to $2.49 sq/ft. which is more than the flooring. We want to do about 1000sq/ft in our home so thats alot of money.It was too busy (New Years Eve) to find anyone in Costco to help us but I will go back next week after the holiday season and get a price for their underlayment. I suppose there is a difference in the quality for that too, but you say that Harmonics brand is acceptable to use. By the way, Armstrong has a great site showing the installation process Thanks for suggesting checking out the internet, hopefully in the next few weeks I will know everything I need (and More) about laminates!Happy New Year, Kathy

Kathy,
Most of the Costco in my area (Northern California) has the Harmonics installation kits, which I actually found somewhat better quality than even Pergo and a few other brands (probably improvements learned over time from the other brands' initial releases).

The Harmonics underlayment has its own adhesive attached to it to close the seams; however, I would still recommend using duct tape over the seams on the underlayment. One roll of duct tape should be enough.

There is a slight difference in the quality of the planks. As with any laminates, you should examine each plank for chips in the top surface of the laminate prior to installation, and don't force anything during the install of the planks, usually the alignment is not right if it doesn't go in easily. Happy New Year.

I bought some Royal Cherry from Costco for our dining room and kitchen. When assembling a few planks for practice, I noticed there is a light strip between the planks. The particle material on the sides made the lines...as if the laminate material did not go far enough down on the edges. I was thinking about using a frniture pen to color the edges, but that seems tedious and risky...could make another type of line?

Have you guys seen this?
Also, how do you hink the Harmonics underlayment compares to other types (Armstrong Quiet Comfort at Lowes, etc)?
Thanks,
Tom

Tom,
The planks are probably not being assembled correctly if it has a gap (or light strip). While holding down the first plank (you could knell on it), attach the next lengthwise plank at an angle (the instructions state the angle degrees) and flip it down, while using a firm but gentle push inward; you may have to repeat this several times. The tounge of the subsequent plank has to slip completely into the groove of the initial plank.

If using Harmonics laminate, it is recommended to use the Harmonics underlayment to validate the warranty. The Harmonics underlayment is a combination of moisture barrier and foam pad.

Should there be problems with the harmonics laminate flooring after its installation does anyone know how the warranty works? 25 year warranty sounds to general. Warranty on what specific defect is being covered? Assuming every installation requirement was followed, i.e: using the prescribed underlayment foam, maintaining proper gaps at wall edges, etc. Then you notice some planks( around 3 to 4 pcs)start to rub on each other. If the defect shows up 5 months after installation, whom should we run after?

The harmonics flooring goes on sale at costco starting feb 14, 2005 for a week. $5.oo off per package. Did anyone have any luck buying the harmonics underlayment directly from harmonics(by the foot) after buying the initial install kit from costco?

How does the laminate wood flooring hold up in humid enviroments, ie. in Florida?

The upcoming Costco deal has me re-conisdering installing masonry tiles.

i guess i am still confused -- is it recommended to lay the laminated flooring over linoleum or would it be wiser to remove the linoleum and place down the Harmonics underlayment?
Also i was thinking of putting this in a kitchen of a rental - this is a good idea or could damages be too great if it had standing water on it for prolong times?

You can install the laminate over the linoleum if you like, it may or may not make it higher than the floor of another room where it transitions (e.g., other room is tile, etc.)

For a rental, the renters may not be aware or take care of the laminate as instructed.

My Husband and I installed Harmonics in a spare bedroom a few months ago and are very happy with it. Once we got the hang of it, was easy to install. We purchased enough from Costco to also do our bedroom which we are about to start. We have a King size waterbed in a wood frame and wonder if the weight of the waterbed is too much for the laminate floor. The flooring would be going over concrete and the Harmonics underlayment. I realize if the bed ever leaked (without us being aware) we'd be in big trouble, but I'm not really concerned about that, I just wonder about the weight.

We are considering putting the Harmonics in our basement. My husband doesn't think it is wise to use it in a basement because of moisture--any comments? We have had Pergo in our kitchen, laundry room, and hallway for 10 years---has held up well but water left for a period of time will cause damage. (We have 4 kids and a dog, and they haven't hurt or scratched the floor at all) Flooding the laundry room, however, did some damage on the laminate molding because it was not wiped dry soon enough. Make sure your floor is level---I remember the Pergo was very unforgiving.

Hi I went to Costco today and noticed they have the underlayment instock next to the flooring. I live near the Signal Hill Costco in California, so they be stocking it for the Big Sale in FEb. Afterwards I had my hair done at the salon where they have recently remodeled and guess what kind of foor the have in-yes it was Harmonics. I asked the owner and he said he had installed the same floor last year in his other salon and was so happy that he used it again. He has tile in the area where they wash your hair but they use alot of chemicals and the hairdressers are on their feet all day and he said it has really stood up to alot of abuse in the other salon.So he is using it again. The only thing I noticed was that it did have a certain noise that sounded plastic and whoever installed the molding around the area where the tile joins the flooring wasn't matched. But overall it looked nice. I am thinking if the floor holds up to the problems that arise in a commercial setting it must be durable for my family. Kathy

I read that when installing laminate, it looks better to have the planks running towards the main light source instead of at right angles to the light.

If I follow this advice, when I get to a hallway adjoining the living room, the planks will have to be placed in short pieces across the hallway. It would surely look better to have them running the length of the hallway. Does anyone have advice about this?

We installed about 1000 square feet of the Harmonics Cherry in our house about 6 months ago. We love the look and feel of it but lately I've been noticing places in the kitchen where it looks like the edges are buckling (like by the dog's water dish (which is on a rug but we have a 2 year old that likes to spill it alot). I never heard of sealing laminate - does anyone know about this and if it's too late to do to the rest of the flooring? It sounds like the boards that have the damage need to be replaced (we did not use glue so I'm hoping they can be lifted out). Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

lots of reading done on my part.....I am convinced. I am going to install laminate flooring from Costco! Thanks

Sorry but the flooring is highly overrated, My wife and I installed the harmonics (approx. 1000 sw ft) about a year ago and have been unhappy ever since, lots of warping, seperating and chipping and even scratching. We currently have filed a claim but have not heard back, and have called back 3 seperate times. I would NOT reccomend this to anyone, we will tear up and do something else as soon as we can afford to.
Mike

My husband and I had Costco's laminate flooring installed in our living room. According to our installer, Pergo is easier to install because it has bigger slots but the Harmonics brand really isn't too hard to do since I watched him do it with ease as well. The hardest part is starting it and ending it. He advised buying a higher quality foam from Home Depot (it's color green). The thicker the foam the less creaking he says. Also, since the floor is glueless, spills should be wiped right away or it will seep through. I believe regardless of brand, any glueless laminate flooring will warp if spills are allowed to seep through. Also, if not properly installed it will warp though time since wood expands according to the changes in weather. The problem with glued laminate flooring is that it's hard to replace pieces if anything happens to it but it will be more resistant to spills. Real hardwood floors need a coat of wax or varnish and scratches easier than laminate flooring. Laminate flooring already has a protective coat.
As for Richard's question about the direction of the planks, yes, generally it is prefered that it runs towards the source of light. The only thing you might be able to do is put a reducer at the end of the hallway to "separate" the hallway from the living room.

I looked in the Costco Coupon book. The $5 off sale for each package of harmonics laminate(no limit on packages) last 3 weeks. Feb 14- March 6, 2005

Need a custom tool to trace difficult corners and obstacles for laminate floor installations?

I’ve been working on a design to sell in the 25-40 dollar range that will help trace obstacles as you approach them. I made one prototype and am ready for revision 2, but have kind of lost interest until I read this thread. If anybody is interested in this kind of tool I’d really like to know so I can get a feel for the demand. The way it works is pretty simple: As you lay the rows of flooring down you eventually come to a corner, obstacle, or weird angle that is difficult to trace and cut correctly. If you have installed laminate flooring before you quickly realize that you can lay the next slat that will interfere with a wall on the previous row, but at the same location in the “column” it will reside in. By tracing the obstruction profile on the flooring with the exact offset of the flooring width, you create a perfect line to cut and the piece falls right into place in its intended “column” (sorry if that didn’t make sense….. I can send drawing examples of how it works if need be). Anyway if I get enough interest I might make another prototype and sell it to those individuals at cost for evaluation purposes. Would love to hear from you if this sounds interesting to you….. Matt_abq-laminatetool@yahoo.com

I installed the Armstrong brand from Lowes 1 year ago in a bedroom and am very happy. The kitchen already had Pergo brand and a recent dishwasher failure caused nearly half the kitchen to swell up at the joints. I think just about any brand is going to look bad if it gets soaked. The water literally came up from under the floor, not down thru the cracks because the dishwasher leaked under it from behind the cabinets.

That being said I really like laminate because it’s clean, not as cold as tile, and very tough for the most part. I'm going to do the rest of the house with the Costco brand flooring when it goes on sale, but am considering doing water risk areas in tile (kitchen and bathrooms).

I guess the only thing that is really a con in my opinion is the acoustics. It can be loud and “echoe”, but overall it’s a do it yourselfer’s dream, looks good, is clean, and tough. Sure if you get a hammer and nail you can scratch it (it doesn’t have the same surface coating as Kit from Knight Rider) but if you put 10 pea size chips in it over the years is it that big of a deal?

Another interesting point is that it’s amazing how good a job a do it yourselfer can achieve because it’s THEIR HOUSE. A professional comes in and could care less next week. The installation I did last year is perfect…. No gaps sticking out past the molding and a good clean installation. The reason I started working on the tool design was due to most of my installation stress coming from cuts that had to be measure over and over again so I didn’t cut too much off (for example I had a wall that want’ square or straight, so I can to cut a profile several times. I probably walked back and forth 1000 times between the room and the garage. That’s when I said “if I could quickly draw a perfectly offset ¼ inch line from the wall It would have taken ½ the time.”

One other piece of advice…… I bet a few of you are wanting new base board molding. I learned the hard way that you can just miter cut to 45 deg angles and put the molding in. The way it’s actually done is the first piece you install has two square ends. The second piece has to be cut with a coping saw to fit of the end of the first piece, then the third has to be cut to fit on the square end of the second piece and so and so forth.

Good luck everybody….. it’s good stuff.

correction.... that last paragraph should read:

"I learned that hard way that you CAN'T just miter..."

What finsh accessories are available and from where? I am preparing to install 1000 sq ft myself of Harmonics but have yet to find the proper transition and finish parts. Can anyone help??

After reading all the pros and cons at this site, I am bit confused. I want to install laminate flooring in my downstairs floor, the area is about 1450sq.ft. This will include the entire ground floor area including the kitchen + laundry...etc..
After seeing all the discussions here, as many of you have said that eventually one will see water damage in those areas such as kitchen & laundry & dinnette, what if I coat these 3 areas with "Mop Glow" coating. This that liquid that is used on linoleum flooring for protection and giving a high-gloss look. I have been using Mop-Glow for many years (7years) and my kitchen floor looks line new, with some exception where some damage has been done by falling pots & pans and kids droping heavy items. So if I coat it with this
Mop-Glow, will safegaurd the flooring? Do comment give me your views. An advance thanks to your suggestions and comments.

Jawaid...

I was all set to install Harmonics from Costco but am now a little worried. I need flooring that will withstand pet accidents. I thought laminate would be an inexpensive option for easy clean-up, but if my cat or dog pees on it will it warp and start to smell? Can I use glue on Harmonics and would this prevent problems? Help!

Amy..... just like carpet, if your pet pees on it I suspect it will get in the cracks. When my floor warped it was complete floating on water, so I don't think your floor is going to come apart if your cat / dog pees on it a few times. It may warp a slight bit. The slat interfaces eventually have small gaps anyway, but not too too bad. Laminate flooring is a synthetic that is very tough and sealed, so it's not junk. If you are going to get a magnifying glass out you will be disappointed over time at the connection joints. I have a floor that is 1 year old with pets on it and I still love it. I do recommend that you keep it out of bathrooms, laundry rooms, and kitchens. I’m going to do my house all laminate except those areas.

How do you clean the Harmonics flooring? Squeeky Clean was mentioned but no source to buy provided.

Thank you,
Barbara

You can use a laminate floor cleaner, such as Pergo's brand, Wilsonart's brand, etc. I've been using Armstrong's Once and Done (No Wax) cleaner for over 7 years on Wilsonart laminate flooring. Or you can use a mixture of water and vinegar.

Squeaky Clean is actually a window blind cleaner.

Just curious if anyone had a wavey appearance after almost a year of being down. We had no problem laying it and followed the directions and did our whole house but the kitchen and baths. I am worried that this is going to start happening everywhere else. After all that work I would hate to replace it all again.

Hello to all who have posted regarding Costo Harmonics Laminate Flooring! I read this posting and helped me make the decision to put Harmonics on my house. I did livingroom, hallway and 2 bedrooms and it looks great! I can post pictures if anyone is interested so you can see how it turn out. Thank you to everyone who helped me make this tough decision easier. I still have one question is there someone who has had Harmonics for over a year? how does it look?

Thanks

What is the true life expectancy of any laminate that is exposed to kids, pets, and the tracking in of the enviromenatal elements, i.e. rain, snow, mud, dirt etc, Costco is having the coupon thing again from Feb 14 to Mar 6, 2005. I am interested in doing the living, dining, and kitchen. The living and dining have concrete slab sub-floors. The kitchen has wood sub floor, that had the concrete wonder board installed on top of it so tile could be placed on top. What a huge mistake. I woul dlike to just install the Harmonics laminate over the tile. Any problems, suggestions etc.

Jan,

QUICK-STEP FLOORING AS I READ IN AN EARLIER POSTING IS THE SAME AS HARMONICS FLOORING SO I ORDERED SEVERAL THINGS FROM AND IT MATCHED! THEY HAD EVERYTHING INCLUDING THE LAMINATE FLOOR CLEANING KIT AND REPARI KIT THEY HAVE IT ALL! ONE PROBLEM YOU HAVE TO ORDER IT AND IT TAKES A FEW DAYS! CALL AROUND AND ASK ANY FLOORING CO. THAT SELLS LAMINATE IF THEY CARRY THE QUICK STEP BRAND. SHOP AROUND THOUGH BECAUSE SOME PLACES ARE MORE EXPENSIVE OF COURSE! HOPE THIS HELPS YOU!

Did anyone buy the moldings or end pieces from harmonics. If you did please let me know what you think about them or whether i should just buy regular wood moldings

nando,

Don't buy regular wood mouldings, it looks quite different. I would suggest bringing a scrap piece of Harmonics plank to Home Depot, and matching up to a moulding such as Pergo; it comes quite close. Or you can order from Harmonics, but there are several advantages from just going to Home Depot, e.g., get it quick, buy quantity as necessary, and being able to return unused moulding, etc.

We just finished 1000 sq ft of Harmonics - royal cherry. I got the moldings from Home Depot - Walnut color label, after I brought in a sample to match. It goes long with the royal and cost half as much.

Just went to our local Costco and lo and behold no more flooring there. As I have done one room already Im a little concerned that they may not be getting any more..............

just wondering if the Harmonics laminate is laminated on both top and bottom surfaces?

I like the person who wants to install the system in a shower and shop or garage. You know it is cheep enought to do it and if you follow the wet installation you are under the life Costco warrantee.
This is for my 3 cents only,
We built an all glass room onto our home in the mountains,Really it is in the rockies in north western Montana. We installed or tried to, in the new ADDITION, BUT.. We did the math and even bought 3 extra boxes from Costco and guess what?? They did not allow for the Min. 8" between seams offset in the so called SQ FT needed. We got almost done and OH SHIT!!! we ran
out. Let this be a lesson, it takes more than you think when you have to allow for the min. 8inche seam to seam. Get extra you can always take it back but if you, like us stored this for the room finish, will feel the rock fall into the pit of your tummy wondering if you can get more of the SAME COLOR, DESIGN, OH GOD, DO i HAVE TO START ALL OVER WITH ANOTHER COLOR!!
Have no fear, I read this site and I have the coupon for the Feb.2005 sale so .
Off to costco we go with our fingers crossed, we need 4 boxes to finish our glass room.
Also to the people who wonder about the underlay, we are 4 feet short of finishing. We have to buy another kit from Costco to finish. This is not our error, we got the kit and did not notice it had been RE-TAPED.AHHHHH!!!!
Yes someone had used 4 feet or so and returned it to Costco and we were the unlucky ones to get it. Well rest asured we won't do it to you. We will go to Costco and make them give us a free kit due to the problem. (They will too, they are great in our store in Western Montana).
Now to you who think this is a pain to drive to the store again, well Ye of Little Faith,
We lilve 3 hours round trip from our Costco thru Rain, Sleet, Snow. Get the picture.
The price is right, and like I said at first I agree with the other reader who said "I like cheep sawdust with a photo of wood on it".
Seeley Lake, Montana.

I am not sure I understand the Harmonics underlayment installation. The directions say to run the underlayment up the wall about 1". Is this all walls? Do you cut the edge off afterwards? Do you take the thickness of the underlayment into consideration when you gap the planks from the walls?

I have seen other underlayment methods discussing running the underlayment up the walls, but when you watch their videos, they run it flat.

Like David, I have an underlay question. I guess they want you to attach the underlay between the wall & the quarter round so it stays in place which is fine, but when you're using it in the kitchen & you have to put silicon down in the expansion joints near the sink, dishwasher & refrigerator, do you cut the underlay back to floor level so the silicon fills the gap right to the wall? I'm guessing this is logical, but logic doesn't always come into it, right?

Harmonics Laminate wood floors at COSTCO COUPON IS NOW!!! Its starts next week Valentines Day Feb. 14, 2005!!!!! Also, Harmonics has a 25 warranty, Costco warranty's them for life!

If I use a thicker underlayment\moisture barrier would it help avoid the "hollow" noise when walked on?

David,
When you run the moisture barrier up the wall, you do not cut off the edge afterward, this will be covered by the base moulding. I wouldn't worry too much about taking into consideration the thickness of the underlayment, as this get somewhat compressed when you have the plastic shims and the planks pressed up during installation. (But watch out for the expansion gaps on all walls while you are laying the planks, as the floor has a tendency to actually float and move while you install planks.

Lindsay,
You are correct with your logic.

CAT,
I don't know if a thicker underlayment would help avoid the hollow noise, but it will create a slightly higher floor, and is a different sound. I believe at Home Depot, the Pergo brand has the 2 different underlayment, and the thicker underlayment is different sounding, but I don't know if it will eliminate the "non-wood" sound.

Has anyone tried using some sort of polyurethane floor sealer on the edges/seams to protect from water damage. I was thinking of using a small foam brush dipped in the sealer & "painting" the edges & seams. What do you think?

I just called the 1-888 customer service number, and it was picked up first ring. I asked them about the silicon sealing issue (see my previous question about 4 comments up) and their advise is that the order is wall, underlayment, silicon seal, floor. The underlayment protects from water underneath or coming down the wall, so the silicon needs to go between the flooring & the underlayment. Awesome customer service, btw.

Does anyone know if you infact need the coupon to by the flooring at costco. I knew that it was comming on sale as of the 14th of Feb. but I did not get the coupon. Thanks

My husband and I just bought harmonics laminate from Costco and planning to install it in the living/dining rm area. We have a concrete subfloor and according to a video installation instructions we need to check the moisture content of the floor. Is this necessary, or does the underfloor layer that comes with the installation kit enough to "seal" the floor?

Jeff, Costco nevers asks for my coupon when buying coupon items. They automatically just run their copy of the coupon through the scanner and you are good to go! I am going tomorrow morning when the store opens to buy all the maple flooring they have. Coupon starts tomorrow. $5.00 off a box. Last week they had 51 boxes, I hope they will still be there!

Hi everyone, I wanted to direct your attention to a laminate flooring forum I setup ( http://laminateflooring.oncloud8.com ). Having different threads might make all this a little more readable. Also, I'm not sure how many more comments this thing can handle! Thanks for all the great discussion. :) -Tim

Hi. I am thinking of putting harmonics in my kitchen/ family room, but it is not a square or rectangle and was curious how difficult it is to cut the planks to fit the space? Also, what is the best type of saw toi use for the edges?

I just started reading this today. I am concerned about using this product in the kitchen and bathroom. It sounds like water may be a problem. Perhaps I should install something else in these areas.

Does anyone know how much laminate floor weight?
I read someone wants to put a laminate floor over tile floor, will that be too much weight on the floor?

Jeff: you don't have to have the coupon to BUY the flooring at Costco (though obviously you must be a member), but the coupon gets you about 20% off the price. If you didn't get the "passport to savings" booklet in the mail, you can head to the member services desk (usually near the EXIT), and request one -- they'll gladly hand you one.

I've a suggestion for people though: use the feedback forms near member services to tell Costco that they should stock the darn transition pieces (wood-to-carpet, wood-to-wood, etc). It'd *STUPID* that you can buy the flooring and the install kit, but no transition hardware...

LAMINATE WEIGHT:

One box (7 planks totalling 17.8 sq feet) weighs about 26 lbs. That's with the cardboard, but that's negligible, and should about offset the underlayment (plastic+foam) from the install kit, which itself is pretty insignificant in weight.

That works to about 146 lbs per 100 sq feet (10x10). Not light, but I'm sure the tile is much heavier, what with the tile and mortar. I'd strongly advise you chip out the tile before laying a new floor - overlaying a wood floor or subfloor, or laying a new vinyl floor on top of an older one is generally accepted practice, but a tile floor generally doesn't make for a FLAT base surface (it may be _level_, but it's not flat).

(I am reminded of the weight, because I loaded it onto the cart, then into the truck, then from the truck to my father-in-law's side yard under cover because I hadn't yet closed on the house, then back into his truck, and from his truck into my barn, then from there back into a truck, driven across the property to my house, unloaded from the truck and to my family room, then moved invividually into the rooms being worked on -- yup, about 26 lbs a box...)

My wife and I just picked up about 500 sq ft of the Birch colored Harmonics, using the coupon. We went back to the normal location of the flooring and found it had been wiped out. I was paniced at first but after inquiring I was directed to the front of the store where they had pallets of the flooring ready to go.

We're also debating on whether to install it in the bathroooms and kitchen areas, but I'm a little unsure after reading through the forum.

For the price, it's hard to justify any other out there based on our research.

I'll be sure to post more after we have it installed, along with any customer service issues.

My wife and I just purchased 200 sqft of the "Premium Oak Harmonics" from Costco. Does anyone know from experiance which quickstep color this is? I would appreciate any help. My local quickstep dealers and on-line companies are very unhelpful and dont seem to want my business since I bought this at Costco......

Chris: I don't know from experience on the Oak equivalent in the quickstep, but it shouldn't be too difficult to determine by examining the following page (presuming that this posts properly):

The backside (or underside, however you want to consider it) of the planks have a dotmatrix production code and patent data printed on them. The beginning of this is a QSxx code (QuickStep) - the two digits are their Harmonics pattern identifier. Below that is some 2-digit sequence code (in limited spot checking, I've seen them up to about 32), but sadly it's not associated with the "pattern" on the face (that is, the specific arrangement of images). Most planks coming out of a box appear to be in numeric sequence though.

The Royal Cherry is QS11, which according to prior posts here, is the "QuickStep Cherry Select", which is product code U816 (U for Uniclik). Harmonics only carries two other patterns (yea, what you see at Costco is the whole lineup for Harmonics): Oak and Maple - (I don't have the specific names for those as marketed by them, since I myself only have the Cherry) I suspect these are QuickStep U784 and U783 respectively.

As for your local quickstep dealer. They're buttheads if they're going to turn away business - you're coming to them to BUY something. You might try it from a different tact: you bought a house and there's an existing floor which you've determined is quickstep manufacture, and you're knocking out some walls/changing the flooring in an adjacent room, and will need the appropriate transition plates for the new transitions, etc.

If that fails, write a letter to QuickStep and complain that the dealer won't do business with you because you didn't buy the rest of the flooring product from them.

I'm going to say that definatley didn't post properly. Let me try to post the URL again:

http://www.quick-step.com/productfamily.aspx?familyid=3

or, head to quick-step.com, do consumer / US, click enter, then choose classic laminate, and the three should appear among the limited results on that page.

Sean: Thanks for all your help.I have since got a hold of Harmonics and will just order from them. Its much easier at this point. Thanks again for the help!

In term of installing laminate on wet area, I just wonder if I could put a water resistant paint to seal the edge of the planks. This will protect the planks from water damage and it can be taken apart when you want to.
Anyone try this before???

When you're done with the install, don't toss out the tapping block (the white high-density plastic thing) -- if you have a woodworking router, or know someone who does, this is exactly the same stuff used for zero-clearance router fences - it's easy to make a replaceable fence insert with this material, and it's not particularly cheap when you go to buy it for that purpose. Since the only local source of the underlayment foam was the Costco installation packages, I bought four of those - and all I need is the foam. All the extra tappaing blocks are keepers.

I'm preparing to do a hallway with this flooring, and given the nature of the installation process, I'm beginning to wonder whether it is even possible (or feasable) to undercut door jams so that the flooring is laid underneath. Has anyone done this?

Sean,
You would principally be cutting the door jamb "trim", and then lay the flooring underneath. This is the way done by professionals, and I done it everytime when I installed floors. I try not to cut the actual door jamb, so as not to weaken the door frame. I use one of those Japanese-type saw which cuts on the pull, but other saws would work. To get the correct height to cut the trim, lay a scrap piece of plank over some underlayment, and cut the door jamb trim.

When you're done with the install, don't toss out the tapping block (the white high-density plastic thing) -- if you have a woodworking router, or know someone who does, this is exactly the same stuff used for zero-clearance router fences - it's easy to make a replaceable fence insert with this material, and it's not particularly cheap when you go to buy it for that purpose. Since the only local source of the underlayment foam was the Costco installation packages, I bought four of those - and all I need is the foam. All the extra tapping blocks are keepers.

Costco was selling the install kits at $25 apiece for 150sf of foam plus the accessories. Home Despot sells Pergo foam for $18/120sf (you'd save about $2.50 buying the same quantity). Their Shaw underlayment seems very similar to the Harmonics - except the dimensions are 4 foot wide rolls instead of 3 foot. That can easily mean less work to install on a large room, but potentially more waste if you just need a narrow strip - the converse is true as well -- I have a LONG 40" wide hallway, and the Harmonics foam would require a 6-inch strip down one side (remember you have the 7/8" lip up on either wall), whereas it'd be just one roll of the shaw stuff). The shaw foam comes in 200sf rolls, at about $25, so it's effectively 30% cheaper than the Harmonics (though you don't get the install bits - ONE Harmonics box could still be useful).

I'm preparing to do a hallway with this flooring, and given the nature of the installation process, I'm beginning to wonder whether it is even possible (or feasable) to undercut door jams so that the flooring is laid underneath. Has anyone done this?

Sorry about the double-post -- I got nothing but errors (actual server backend errors about some variable on the form) when I tried to post yesterday, and between each attempt reloaded the page to verify that it hadn't somehow appeared. Go figure that when I repost this morning, I didn't re-check

I'm full aware of the cutting the door jamb - that's "undercutting" (I've got a doozie of an undercut to perform on a stone fireplace, for which I have to rig up a grinder in a carrier box to run parallel to the floor). While I find the Japanese flush-cut saws are excellent for cutting dowels from woodwork, I'm using a standard european style trim saw - I don't have to flex the blade.

FYI - Crown Tools, brass backed reverseable saw. About US$27 at a good woodworker supply (such as WoodCraft). The kerf on the blade is piched to the topside of the blade, so there's no/minimal marring on the bottom face. The handle is offset from the plane of the blade (i.e. your hand doesn't drag on the floor as you're trying to cut, and you're not flexing the blade trying to keep your knuckes away from the floor, which can lead to an angled cut). The blade pivots on the brass backing, so that the blade can face the left of the handle, or the right.

The problem that I see is that if you're supposed to drop and click the flooring - coming down at an angle - then it'd be difficult if not impossible to get the flooring UNDER that lip. Because of the length of the hall, I cannot rely upon being able to shove the whole floor up against the opposite wall to gain some additional clearance, then pull it back after laying the wood down, though I figure that is what is expected.

I've heard mention of using construction adhesive to reduce the springyness of the floor - does one do this between the foam and the subfloor AND between the foam and the planks, or just the latter (or did the person who did this not use the foam?)

Owing to concerns that this flooring might mar easier than originally expected, I've given up on the prospect of using this flooring around the main entry to the house - our soil is "sandy loam", which means there's a good prospect of having a few flecks of sand track in with foot traffic, which has a significant potential for marring. I'm replacing the existing (ugly, dark, '70s) tile with newer tile, and dealing with a transition from that to the laminate.

Sean,
There is another 2 ways you could use to get the flooring under the door jamb lip. One way is to shave part of the tounge on the plank and then use adhesive to glue the end plank to the flooring, so that you would not have to come down at an angle.

The way I prefer is to come down at an angle and click the floor away from door jamb, then tap the side edge of the plank until it slides underneath the door jamb trim.

In regards to gluing the foam, never heard of this, but would suspect gluing only the foam and subfloor; as the laminate floor actually floats and slides on the underlayment foam.

First - I want to thank the folks who set up this thread. It really helped answer a few questions about what I am planning to do. So, I would like to return the favor and answer some questions others posted...

1. Hardwood or Laminate should NEVER be cleaned with water, mop and glo or anything that leaves a water film at the end of the effort. This just leads to all the comments noted about peeling cracking, etc.

The cleaner you want is Zep's Hardwood and Laminate cleaner (or something specifically state for hardwood/laminate). Cleaners like Zep's are alcohol based - to evaporate and leave no water residual. You can buy Zep's at Home Depot. 1 Gal is about $10 and you can clean about 1500 sq ft approx 4 times.

Best method - - simply pour Zep's into a spray bottle. spray a section and wipe using one of those cheapo 'grab-it', 'swifter' or other dry push brooms they now market with the replacable sheets. Just use the sheet till it's dirty, then replace and go on. A light spray per section is all you need and about 3 sheets of 'Grab-it' to do 1500 sq ft.

2. Regarding weight on the laminate floor. If the underfloor is concrete, the floor should hold up most weight. But, if you are placing a waterbed (as someone said they are doing), I would not recommend it. Consider how much your bed weighs. The frame is carrying all the weight of your bed and eventually it will leave a crease in the laminate (think of what your carpet looks like when you move your furniture around). Why? You have laminate sitting on top of the foam. Foam does not distribute the weight across the floor like concrete. So, you will eventually have a crease where your frame is sitting. You won't notice it until you decide to move the bed.

3. Instructions say to line the foam 1" up the wall. This is so any water coming down the wall will slip under the foam and therefore not come in contact with your flooring.

4. Glueless means you don't glue it down. You want it to float because with seasonal change your flooring will expand and contract. If glued down, your floor could buckle as the seasons change. Unless your room is 24/7/365 constant temp/sunlight/humidity, your floor will expand and contract. Hence, also the reason for the spacers and why you don't butt the floor right up to the wall all around.

5. For those expecting no peeling, cracking, etc. I am not sure what you expect for $1.28 /sq ft (after Costco coupon). The laminate on the Harmonic product isn't 1/4 inch think. It's more like veneer thickness. So, manage your expectations and you'll be fine. Don't be blinded by the advertising - it doesn't matter what laminate product you choose. If you are concerned, then check the thickness of the laminate you are buying. Thicker is better. You might, after your research, end up going with solid wood.

6. You can lay this stuff over linoleum, existing wood flooring, concrete, or the 4x8 rough floor panels your carpet sits on. But, don't lay this stuff on top of carpet - yes, you'd be surprised at what some people think. Essentially, your base needs to be a firm layer, not a spongey surface. This is why the vapor barrier you need for the installation is not thick.

7. Cutting the sheets. A trick if your cuts look chewed and splintered. Put a piece of masking tape down over the cut line before you begin the cut.

8. As one of the posters mentioned. Buy more than you need - I usually shoot for 15% -20% more. Why? With this type of product, it only goes together 1 way. So, when you are cutting a piece, the left over piece may not have the 'tongue' or the 'groove' to connect elsewhere. Worse case, Costco will take back any unopened packages.

9. When buying, try to make sure and get all the same lot (or, inventory). With laminate this isn't as much of a problem. But, wood various from batch to batch. Otherwise, your wood shade could vary.

10. How to minimize waste. Noting #8, I like to sit down first with paper and pencil and figure out where my cuts will be, where I can use the leftover cut piece elsewhere in the flooring (kind of like a jigsaw puzzle). I also try to map out what layout will result in the fewest cut pieces. Fewer cuts means less waste. Less waste means you spent less on the project. If you are maniacal about this, you can probably return about 10% of what you purchased. Or, Don't take the upfront planning time. It's your choice as to what more important to you - money or your time.

11. Last note. Return any unopened packs, but save your scrap pieces (or, better yet even 1 full unopened package). Why? Someday you may need to replace a section. Better to keep some around than find out you have to rip out the entire floor because they no longer make the color, model, etc.

Hope this helps some folks. I am off to floor 400 sq ft of basement concrete so my kids can have some sleepovers.

John, good comments. A couple of things:

cutting pieces - a good tablesaw and mitre work wonders, though for notches and the like (say, around door jambs or into the doorway openings), a scrollsaw or bandsaw will do a better job than a handheld jigsaw. Home improvement projects are a great reason to add another good tool to the workshop, and a small bandsaw can be gotten for pretty cheap.

I agree on the planning, but there comes a point where you've just got to do the job - I found it easier to just cut according to the lengths I needed when doing the first three rows (by the book), and the remnant from the end of the first row became the starter for the second row; remnant from the second is the start for the third, and the fourth started with a new board. Where I had some outcroppings and whatnot that interfered with the original sequence, I set the longer (but not long enough) remnants to the side - I'll use them in the longer hallway or in a closet, or I'll cut them down to the next sensible interval size to make use of them (but not until I know I can't use them as-is, since it'll mean waste). Yes, for the cost per square foot, as much as you don't want to waste anything, going to extremes to avoid waste is in itself probably more of a waste of resources than just grabbing another plank when it makes sense to.

Damaged planks - in the course of installing the product to one room, I found two of the planks in one of the boxes were broken in one corner (the tongue-tongue corner), as if the box had been dropped on it's corner. My first reaction would be to set them aside and, if others came up during the course of the install, collect them all up and head back for a refund. However, this small damage is easy enough to cut off and then use the boards for a starting row (i.e. where the tongue isn't used), at a loss of perhaps seven square inches of useable flooring material.

The top step in my garage has a "bald spot" where toes nick the drywall there (it was pre-existing damage from the PO, can't say that I've had a problem using the steps myself). I took a suitable piece of the remnant and cut it to fit as a toeboard there.

Because the flooring is made of an MDF core, barring anything else, larger remnant pieces are still useful as template stock for router projects (and would also last longer than a template made from plain MDF). Even smaller remnant strips (so long as they have a straight edge) are useful for construction of router templates.

tongue vs. groove on cut pieces -- say you finish up a room with a narrow strip cut from the laminate. Now you have a bunch of boards with the groove intact, but no tongue. These pieces may still be useful in the next room as the starting row (or a major part of it), if you check the multiple of board widths necessary for coverage of that room (or closet, etc): you may need to cut down the remnant widths a bit, which will enable you to finish the next room with a full board rather than another set of cut boards, and significantly reduce your overall waste.

Thanks for all the useful info!! If anyone can send me a picture of the installed Cherry Harmonic, would be most appreciated. Also after installation can furniture be put back immediately? Thank you.

I am ready to install cherry harmonic from costco. my husband wants to put it in the bathrooms and the laundry room as well as the kitchen.
Has anyone installed it in these areas?
Any problems?
What advice can you give me on these wet areas?thanks in advance.

suggestion on what size base boards to use w/harmonic, where to purchase, cost? Thanks.

My Husband and I just put in Harmonics Royal Cherry laminated flooring and it looks "Beatiful" Was wondering if anyone knows where you can order online or buy TMolding for this flooring!? Thanks

Karie posted this above.........

BTW - I product I am using is the Harmonics - Cherry which is the exact same product as Quik-Step U816 - Select Cherry

How many can be safely loaded in a minivan? I am surprised that each box weighs 26lbs and only covers 17.8 sqft as mentioned by somebody.

I have about 700sqft of basement to do. Would I have to make multiple trips with the Odyssey van?

Thanks,
- Vikas

I just finished my kitchen with Harmonics, about 300 sq feet. I used the Armstrong felt padding from Lowes (39.95 sq ft). I only have 48 more boxes to install. I looked at my friends Pergo he installed over the summer. The Pergo looks good, but it was noisy in comparison to mine. The Harmonics looks pretty great for about 1/3 the price. So in my mind I can replace my floor twice in the next 15 years and still be ahead of the game. I may just do the entire house. One note make sure you get a good set of knee pads.

What tools do I need to sand the high spots on the concrete in the basement?

- Vikas

Depends on how high the "high" spots are and over how big an area.

If they are just individual/random spots you can chip them away and level any divots with a concrete patch.

If over a larger area,then you can use a floor sander and if the sanding is too much work..it may be faster to pour a concrete leveller.

Allowance is no more than 1/8th" over a 6' span I believe.

If you dont want that hollow sound with laminate flooring, dont use the underlayment that comes in the kit, cheap stuff, go get some decent dense underlayment like quickstep, you will be happy you did, no hollow sound with the good stuff. The laminate is very good for the price.

Hi everyone. I laid 700 ft. of Cherry Quick-Step in my living and dining rooms. I bought it at Coker floor. Looks great. I nearly flipped when I saw 'Harmonics Royal Cherry' at Costco. I swear it's the identical shade and everything. SO- I bet you anything that the T-Molds for the regular Quick-step, which you can buy about anywhere, will be a spot-on match for the Costco stuff. There are two types of T-molds as I understand. I bought the 'floating' ones because I didn't want to mess with glue and they look & work just fine. Also- I HIGHLY recommend the upgraded underpad. Don't buy the green stuff. Buy the white stuff. The green will make your floor sound hollow and unnatural. Hope this helps ya'll.

I have 35 boxes of Harmonics oak laminate that I'm planning to begin laying down this weekend (2 small bedrooms, a hallway and living room. I'm pretty much a home improvement newbie (my first house) I've never done this before, but I'm giving it a shot. Based on discussions I've read here, I am not going to put laminate in Kitchen or bathroom. I am going to buy a bandsaw for cutting around door jamb trim. Good kneepads. Pry bar. Circular saw. Need to get a few more boxes of laminate for waste. I have learned alot from this site! Thank you all for the info. But I have a few questions that I hope someone can answer.

1. How do I check levelness of my flooring? How do I correct it if it's not level? I have plywood flooring underneath, not sure, but probably one layer.

2. My wife and I just finished painting practically our entire downstairs, Will I be able to keep baseboards in place? We spent a lot of time painting the trim and baseboards and I'm hoping I don't need to remove them to put down the laminate. There's approx. 1/2" space between floor and bottom of base board after I tear out the carpet.

3. I have a brick fireplace that the flooring will be going up to. How should I handle that? Do I put quarter round around the base of it? I've got a professional coming over to tile the front doorway area Saturday. Should I have him lay a row of tiles around the fireplace and avoid having to butt against the brick?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm glad I found this page!

I've been a member of Costco for years now, and every time I saw the Harmonics flooring I wondered if it was a good price. Well, we've decided it's time to get rid of the cheap carpet that was installed when our house was built and put in laminate floors throughout most of the house. I try to do my research when making major purchases, so have been comparison shopping around Home Depot and Lowe's as well. I kept thinking, "how can the Costco $22/case be any good when the cheapest Home Depot are $45/case?"

Reading through the comments on this page has helped me decide to get the Harmonics flooring. For the money, it seems worth it, and spend the extra money I'm saving on a better quality underpadding.

My only question: our Costco only carries 2 colors, Royal Cherry (item #696728) and Premium Oak (item #695303). On the coupon, it lists 3 item numbers, including item #696727. Does anyone know what that color is, and if I can get it transfered from another Costco? I figure I'll go ask them at the store tomorrow, but thought maybe someone here might know. I'm wanting a 'lighter' color than the oak or cherry, but may settle on the oak if need be.

Thanks again everyone!

The 3rd one they sell is Maple...shown here.....

http://www.quick-step.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=975

We took up our old carpet only to find old hardwood floors underneath with alot of issues, so we've been checking out laminate flooring. Has anyone dealt with uneven floors, if so how did you deal with it or can you deal with it?

We purchased 46 cases of the Royal Cherry from Costco in Senter Rd - San Jose. When the installer opened 1 box to demo us the underlayment he was going to use, you can see a white line at the joints (where it interlocks).
We opened other boxes and they're all the same. Did anyone have the same problem? Is this normal? The installer said it's defective.

I just bought the Harmonics Maple to install throughout my house. The posts on this site have been really helpful. The only question I have is regarding a change in direction. The hallway runs from the entryway for about 25 feet then turns 90 degrees to the left (as your walking down the hallway) with a doorway at the end of the hallway into a bedroom. Anyone have any idea how I am going to turn 90 degrees with this stuff and not have a transition piece in the hallway?

This forum is very interesting. I just recently installed some Pergo in a bathroom. The stuff ain't cheap...$68/bx (17.5 sf). This product had the foam backing pre-glued to the back of it. It makes a beautiful floor. I saw the Harmonics at Costco and am seriously considering installing it in the kitchen (notice, I'm installing laminate in all of the high moisture areas...I love to live dangerously!) My question about the Harmonics deals with the underlayment. Since I didn't need it with the Pergo, I'm not familiar with it. I did notice while I was reading these postings that one person raved about the Harmonics brand of underlayment. He said he even took a sample to Home Depot or Lowe's and compared what they sell with their laminates. He claims that the Harmonics underlayment was 1mm thicker (3mm vs 2mm). However, I've noticed a couple of postings here that say the Harmonics underlayment is garbage and that they used underlayment from another company. This is confusing. If someone could shed some light on this issue, I would appreciate it. Thanks... and I'll keep all of you posted if I decide to go with the Harmonics.

I am a costco member. However, I never received any coupon book from them. Where can I find the coupon book for Harmonic laminate? On Costco's service desk?

GO TO Costco Service Desk

I've purchased laminated flooring from Costco a couple of years ago and although all went well I later decided I needed more. The problem I have is that Costco no longer carries that brand and now if I buy Harmonics it does not match the previous brand. That is joint type and exact color. I've seen Harmonics at Costco for two years now but am concerned that they will either switch brands or not carry it later. I'm really trying to buy just what I need for now but dont want to be in a predicament later. Any thoughts about this?

Re: costco coupons.

As posted by Princy, just go to the Member Services counter. Any time you head in there and forget your coupons, just head over there and they'll provide you with a coupon book. That also means if you buy 'x' number of boxes, and realize it wasn't enough, you can head back in (and presuming the dated coupon is still valid), get another one.

Re: sanding concrete subfloor

Your best bet is a 4.5" or 7" grinder. I have both - a Dewalt and Makita (corded) respectively. The 4.5" is useful for a wide variety of tasks including automotive metalwork, while the 7" is a bit too bulky for that. Instead of the 7", if you plan to do much masonry work, you might try to get a 9", though the discs for those are likely to be harder to find - the 9" units are generally not found in Home Despot type stores.

If you don't think you'll be using the tool beyond this one time, check with your local hardware stores (or even just a regular tool rental place), and see if they've got a 7" or 9" grinder. Home Despot in my area didn't, so I ended up buying a 7". Considering what I would have paid for an installer to do the work, even buying a tool for US$150 for this one task wasn't that outrageous of an expense, and I know I'll use it again.

I used the 4.5" grinder with a sanding disc to grind away all the adhesive/thinset from a subfloor after chipping away the original tiles (though I'm installing marble in that location, not the Harmonics), while I used the 7" (and would have had an easier time with a 9") to undercut the stone fireplace so that I could slip the laminate flooring underneath the edge (look ma, no unsightly board edges!). If you use a grinder, be prepared to deal with a LOT of dust -- try to tent off the space you're working in, and of course, wear goggles and a face mask.

You can check for flatness by laying a traightedge (or the base of a level) across the area you're
checking.

If you chip it out, or grind too much, the easiest thing to do is apply self-leveling floor compound, which is like a really soupy thinset.

Gregg:

1. Levelness: use a straightedge and lay it on the floor. Shine a light on the opposite side and look for gaps between the edge of the straightedge and your subfloor. Mark a circle around problem spots with a marker pen and after you've found 'em all, paint them with a latex primer (specifically for levelling compound, which will seal the wood and provide a better bond), then let that dry (about 2 hours) and mix up some self-levelling compound and apply to the spots needing help.

2. Bummer, but the whole idea of baseboards is to cover the gap between your flooring and the wall. You need to take them out, install the flooring, and reinstall the baseboards. I believe you'll find this a lot better than trying to get the flooring under the baseboards and back together again when you don't have access to the edge to tap them together on the final row.

3. I have a natural stone fireplace. I used a 7" (but a 9" would have been easier - remember, the number is the diameter from edge to edge, but the actual cutting depth is the distance from the centre to the edge (the radius) which is half that, but actually LESS, because the spindle housing and whatnot get in the way - ultimatley, the 7" gives about 2" of useable cut depth, and that's assuming there are no outcroppings above the cut line that will interfere with the grinder housing) grinder and a masonry wheel and undercut the perimiter of the fireplace. This allowed me to slip the flooring underneath the stone. Cutting masonry produces a LOT of dust, so tent off the workarea with plastic. Wear protective goggles (as you should when using power tools), and a facemask. If you've ever done much drywall sanding, you have an idea of how the dust migrates all over the house if you don't take steps to contain it. You also need to consider the direction from which you are installing the flooring - you should want to START rows against the fireplace so that you can slip them underneath the undercut, rather than trying to end rows there. Expect to use the tapping block a bit. When done, you can apply some flexible caulking in the small gap between the flooring and the edge of the undercut (which will probably be about 1/8" or 3/16" above the wood). The protective shield on the 7" Makita grinder I used allowed me to set the face of the grinder directly against the subfloor and slide the grinder along - the disc was kept just above the subfloor surface. Follow up on the cut with an offset chisel to clear away the mortar/brick that is BELOW the grinder cut.

thanks to all who have given info about harmonics-you answered my same questions. Don't think I will go with Harmonics, too many negative comments-dog peeing created bubble etc

Re: Costco carrying the same brand 2 years later.

As has been mentioned on this blog/forum, the Harmonics brand is just a rebranded QuickStep product. Harmonics carries only three (Cherry, Maple, Oak) of the variety of QuickStep patterns. So, if several years from now, you find yourself in need of more of the Harmonics and Costco isn't carrying it, either call the number on the install package (keep it in your homeowner/decorator logbook - a useful record of what paint colours, trims, etc you have used and where to get them), contact Costco Member Services (which might be able to put you in touch with the distributor), or get in touch with a QuickStep dealer (which will cost more, but if the flooring is still made, they should be able to get it, since they're the ones that MAKE it).

Also, it is common practice to get a couple boxes or so more than you actually need to complete a project and keep them stored away. This way, should you do other work that necessitates replacing some of the flooring or moving it further into another space (perhaps a closet?), you'll have some on hand. They're not so prohibitively expensive that a couple of boxes will break the bank.

Re: quality of Harmonics

Tom, if you're going to go with LAMINATE flooring, you're going to find water to be an issue in any event, whether it's Harmonics, Pergo, Shaw, or whatever. The core of the issue (pun intended) is that the laminate flooring products use MDF as the basis of the planks, and it's just a dense form of particle board - more durable, but still made up of compressed wood particles, and therefore susceptible to expansion when it gets wet.

From what I've seen, Pergo seems to be a lesser product than the Harmonics. That didn't stop me from using Pergo brand baseboards (for some contrast) when I got a really good deal on some being cleared out at a local home centre (about 20 pieces at $5 apiece instead of the more typical $20-25 -- do the math).

So bottom line is, if you don't think Harmonics is going to do it for you, then you should look to avoid laminate flooring entirely.

Re: hallway turns 90'

The harmonics product has two types of seams on it - tongue (which projects about 1/8" from the laminate face) and groove (which has a lower portion which projects about 1/4" beyond the laminate face. One long edge and one short end are tongue, and the other faces are groove. This means you can join them end to end or at a 90' angle.

However, you don't want the boards all lined up with a common end seam, because they'll loose structural rigidity - you're supposed to stagger the rows of boards so that the short seams are offset. I personally do it about 1/4 to 1/3 of a board length (i.e. from about 12" to 15" intervals), but if you're going to shoot for a 90' turn in a hall, you should do them at 7 1/2" offsets and start with the corner, building outwards from there.

Alternatley, you can continue the grain pattern down the side hall (I'd suggest doing the longer run with planks lengthwise and the shorter hall with them sideways. that is with the ends facing the side walls). Again, you need to offset the boards. This method may lead to more waste though depending upon the width of your hallway, and