Well, we finally got around to it. We installed laminate floors (from Ikea) in our living room last weekend. It looks really good. We went with the Hemse beech stave effect with a cardboard underlay. I wouldn’t use the cardboard underlay again, but would prefer to use the foam, and even to use two layers of foam. The cardboard was very scratchy to handle (gloves might have been a good choice) and generated a lot of fibre dust. The flooring itself was difficult to get started with. The first row was a cinch, but getting the second row attached was a real bear of a problem. Once the first two rows were done, the rest went fairly easily except when working around corners and the like. Then things got tricky, but not impossible. It took Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and evening and most of the day Sunday to do the job. Now all I have left to install is the baseboard around the room. That and call a painter to repaint the room.