MY LAMINATE FLOORING QUEST!!!!

So @silvertop has finished the porcelain tile layouts on both sides of the great room. Now it is time to lay the flooring in between, to finish out the room. This should be easy.......... Well........
Now you need to know a little background on @silvertop. When people say they have built, they sometimes mean that they subcontracted and built.
I have been building a long, long time LOL! :)
I have designed and built houses from the drafting table to the complete house with my own hands..............But I have never laid laminate before, so I am in the planning and learning and Mrs. @silvertop needs to give the green light on the flooring type and style. :)

We have this........

And this......

And many more!!!
I have ordered three boxes of three different types from a big box store, and they said two weeks for the flooring to come in! (:
More samples from on line too, ugh!

I am researching so I do this correct, and I have found that there are two basic types of flooring locking mechanisms : " angle angle " and "drop and lock ".
There are bevel edge laminate flooring to give the flooring a rustic natural look, and numerous transition strips; reducer strips to go from floor tile to laminate.
With furry clawed children, I even considered vinyl plank, but I could not find a rustic cabin look that both me and the Mrs liked.
Finally this flooring floats, it is not nailed down, so when you get to the opposite side of the room, and along the edges the laminate must have a baseboard or similar 1/4 round molding to hold the flooring flat and to not allow the flooring to come apart.
Interesting Huh!

In this last photo the top floor is vinyl plank, and the bottom is laminate.....
This is a 460 sq. ft. room with lots of nooks and crannies, so this is going to be a fun project!!!
Stay tuned @silvertop will be back!!!