Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - prep advice for laying laminate flooring

I've decided to lay a laminate floor in a bedroom. I've never done this before, but am not afraid to tackle it. I have to assume that like with most projects preparation is the most important thing.

The home is only about 9 years old. When it was originally built carpet was placed in most of the home. so far I have removed the old carpet. vaccumned and scrubbed the subfloor (with a little bleach & soap). I've purchased a wonderbar to remove the old carpet tack strips and to remove the baseboards.

problems:

is there an easy way to remove the staples left from when they stapled the carpet pad to the subfloor, or do I have to get an old screw driver and just start prying each on up individually? when I tore out the old pad, bits of the old pad are left under the staples.

The subfloor isn't "perfectly" even, by that I mean it may be 1/16 in off in places, would it be smart to screw the floor down in places before i begin?

Any other preparation tips would be welcome.


Thanks
Julie

Screwdriver and pliers works pretty well, along with a flat dull floor scraper as it will bust them out, especially if pad chunks are under them.


1/16" is not bad at all.
The specs are usually 1/8" in 6' or 3/16" in 10'
Use a straight piece of lumber to check for actual flatness.

thanks Perry