"Multiply by 3" Rule

On the project house I'm working on, I had the carpets cleaned to try and get several stains out as well as the smell of cat pee (and I replaced the carpet pad, which is usually the source of such smells). Unfortunately the carpeting in the living and dining rooms didn't clean well, and the smell lingered so I opted to rip out the carpet and try laminate flooring. I've done a bamboo floor installation but have never used laminate. IKEA had a sale over President's Day weekend, so I picked up 500-odd square feet of beech laminate for $0.69 per square foot.

My wife always says to take whatever time estimate I give and then multiply it by 3. I hate it when she's right, but she's done it again. My one day flooring project is officially a 3-day project. I really wanted to finish it on day two--Thursday, but by 4:45am Friday morning I'm officially tired... but it's almost done. Fortunately I don't require much rest. I seem to have 3 hour sleep cycles, and while I usually sleep 6 hours, I can live on 3.

And in case you're wondering, I think my first laminate flooring installation will be my last. Laminate is not as forgiving as wood, and it's too easy to chip the edges. I'll be curious to see how well this holds up to tenants.