Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - What Am I doing WRONG? (Laminate Installation)

First of all...thank you for the responses from my first post about holes from tack strips.

Now for my second of many more to come posts ~

I'm doing the whole house in laminate. Started in the formal dining room.

1. Directions say when doing the 2nd row insert first plank long side into first row. (got that down) Then slide the 2nd plank in that row (short end) into that first plank in 2nd row... lift both at 45 degree angle and snap in...continue with the rest of planks in that row the same way. (For my great room...1 row will have at least 5 planks do I have to lift all at the same time to insert that row?)

However that doesnt seem to work for me. After I slide it as far as it will go then tilt both planks at the 45 degrees it wont slide the rest of the way down. :(

2. Also I dont know if this is ok or not...but sometimes I can see where the end joints (short ends) connect after i've connected everything. How do I prevent that if possible.

Ugh.. Please help.

Thanks alot!

~Maria =)

just about everyone seems to have trouble clicking the planks together. here's what i ended up doing: click together an entire row end to end (short ends). then lift the entire row & just click it into the previous row. i know it's long, and it's a 2 person job, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. it will work though. however, if you don't have a helper, then you'll have to keep playing with it til you figure it out (and hold your mouth just right).

Or as Carpets Done Wright always suggests, just get/create some wedges to help prop up the entire row then work your way down clicking it in.