Gotta say installing this floor is too easy. Much better than Bruce Lock-N-Fold as the milling is superb. I guess I should read the instructions I think I installed the underlayment upside down LOL! But I used six mil plastic under it anyway even though they claim it's good up to 7lb per 1000sf in 24 hours. House had been flooded a month or so ago with concrete slab so I wann't taking any chances.

The planks come in the boxes locked together. I spent more time unlocking them that installing them. You can easily lock them with one hand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBzKWnJL108

My guys just love it when they pick up their workorders and find out they are laying that product. Seems they can make a buck with those installs.

From what I have installed. IMO Mirage is the cleanest , most precise product out there.

Absolutely flooroligist! Who says Canadians can't mill quality hardwood?

Here's a couple pics of the maple. Nuthing special with the layout but I did go thru all the doorways without a T-cap. I dislike T-caps. Plus I got suckered into doin the door casing trim. Made the job sweet without it on I have to say!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13772863@N08/?saved=1

I looked at the photos. It appears to be a nice product. The downside I noticed was those end butts that appear to line up pretty easily. Is the flooring mostly the same length?

Thats the downside Gary, only like five different lengths, lots of shorts of course and very few log boards at max four feet. Stagger is 6" minimum and you can easily get into a bind and have to pull planks and reset.

Ya, you never want to set 2 planks together of the same length end to end, your in trouble with end joints.

Once you get past the concept of the 5 different but uniform lengths, the install is a snap (so to speak).
We always make a point of pointing out to the customer (by opening a box at the showroom) that there are no LONG pieces, but that our installers will randomize the joints sufficiently that this wont be a visual issue once the floor is installed and the furniture in place.

Yes it's so busy looking only a pro would notice anyway

I just installed my first Mirage Lock. Went together beautifully. The only problem I had there were way to many shorts. I installed a stained maple, Is this the same in the whole line?

Like those H joints!!

Mine was the stained maple too Jeff. Problem is like I said before is too many shorts so your mathmatically stuck with similar or close to similar board lengths in rows across a room. No matter what Perry Winkle says...your gonna end up with matching lines and H joints. With only five different lengths and the Mirage stagger requirement you will end up with floors lookinmg like that. I went out of my way to go out and cut starters wasting material to stagger rows better, but your gonna get into a spot where you just have to match end joints across the room.

I could do better with a single LONGER uniform length plank.

Exactly. I always tell my reps I want either all the same length boards or actual random lengths. I did all I could do also by cutting my starting boards as well as opening up 4 boxes at a time to separate the different size boards. still went together quick, 480sf in 1 day good pay day.

There's a few products like that now, with a lot of shorts, and just a handful of the same size "random' lengths. Your right , mathmatically you get in trouble. Especially since all the lengths are divisible by each other. It takes a little time, but I found what works for me is to dry run the first few planks of each row in a section and mess with them, always cutting different size starters. the rest of the row will follow that stagger pattern , due to the lengths. Ofcoarse use as much of the waste off the starters, at the other end. I never start with full planks , or lay two of the same lengths end to end. But doing it that way I know what type of pattern will follow down the row.

I found that using lots of long ones in a row really helps throw off that pattern and end matching. Sometimes you just gotta do it. Just like how they are packaged in the box tells you your going to have problems cus they have to fit in that small four foot box.