Armstrong's underlay was used... Quiet Step or something like that. I just got off the phone with a floor specialist / consultant / inspector. I like him.... he asked if my installer would be willing to meet him here and together they can take up a portion of the floor and determine what can be done. He said he is not a "finger pointer", but a problem solver. He said he won't write a report at this point, and that 80% of problems like this are, unfortunately, installation related, but that there is always the possibility that there is a milling issue with the product. I told him my installer has been very cooperative during this entire process, and he is the one who contacted the Armstrong rep when all this started and got the ball rolling, so I think he would agree to be involved. We will see. I did not know that a floor could be taken up and re-installed, if that becomes necessary. I am going to wait until after the first of the year to pursue this course of action. Gives me hope though, that there could be a fix without replacing the entire floor. I told him if the floor has to come up, I will put tile in my kitchen / hallway / laundry room and carpet in the master bedroom. I will of course expect to pay for that. Live and learn.... Thanks again for all the replies..... much appreciated. I am hopeful that something can be done.

OK, I renamed the best pics of each of the three wood species I chose and took pics by my file cabinet by the window, by my credenza that is in back of my desk and by the front of my desk which is by the front windows. I also took pics of the room that is a little messy right now since I am working on a major project and do not have time to clean if I am working as well as obsessing about which wood floor for my office. I was going to wait until the end of the year to change the carpet but then when my air conditoner/heating/compressor unit died on me and caused a flood in the foyer area between the two rooms that are part of that big room, I had to decide what to replace the engineered warped and darkened oak wood with. Pieces of the veneer have come up and it is bumpy and was smelling a muscky smell until I had carpet cleaners deodorize it and steam it lightly to get rid of the musky smell. I either have to replace it with wood or maybe I should put tile there and wood floors in the rest of the office? The 80 pics are now about 23 or 24 pics labeled. Tomorrow I will reduce the number of pics and insert them into my picture program to share with you. I may start a new thread.

Find unfinished hardwood and have it stained to match. Should come in around $18/linear foot = all said and done. That's if you go to a door and moulding shop with a sample of your floor and they CUSTOM match the colour for you. Give them two weeks, pay them and then take home your item. A flooring professional can source this for you (same as above) or you can find a stain that is "close enough" and do it yourself with HD prefab mouldings/trim, etc. The installation instructions clearly indicate: T-mouldings required through all doorways. "In field" expansion gaps are required for: Runs greater than 12m (36ft) across the LONG edge of the plank Runs greater than 8m (24ft) across the SHORT edge of the plank https://d18178273alp6b.cloudfront.net/production/bdsellerassets/laminate-flooring/toklo-by-swiss-krono/pdf/toklo-swiss-krono-installation-instructions.pdf With a purchase of 1000sf, I'm going to guess you will need T-mouldings and some quarter round for the fireplace. For stains: try looking at Ebony, Jacobean or dark walnut. If in doubt, go a snick darker...which is why the Ebony appeals to me. Use white oak to get the cleanest stain and a clear coat so that you do NOT add orange to the colour. Good luck. Count up your doorways (3ft each) and see how much quarter round you have. You can DIY this pretty easy for just a little bit more money. This happens all the time...that's why Home Depot has an entire back wall filled with moulding - unfinished and waiting for stain.

That sounds pretty nasty. You've used the word "laminate" but you've also used WPC in the description. They are normally two different things. Laminate is a photograph sitting on top of fibre board. The WPC is traditionally a vinyl product. They can LOOK the same but they have VERY different installation requirements. First and foremost...the subfloor "flatness" rating. It may or may not have been addressed COMPLETELY. If this is LAMINATE it can handle a bit more humps and bumps but it should still be fairly flat. If this is VINYL then the concrete must be PERFECTLY flat. And I mean REALLY REALLY FLAT. Secondly, and perhaps I should have lead with this, vinyl does NOT like UNDERPAD!!!! Oh dear. Shaw CLEARLY states (on website) that it allows TWO underpads with their vinyl/WPC products: https://shawfloors.com/flooring/how-to/vinyl/underlayment/floorte-vinyl-underlayment Underpads for vinyl are VERY specific and VERY thin. I mean STUPID thin. Like 1.2mm - 2mm thick and that is IT. If they are the wrong material (squishy foamy stuff normally used under laminate) then the vinyl will MOVE and shift and bounce and even crackle and pop (sound familiar?). If it is the wrong THICKNESS...see above. If anything other than the TWO (2) allowable underpads was used, then the warranty is void. You will want to check your invoice. If Costco does NOT carry the two underpads...then they probably used something else. And part of the noise issue is most likely coming from the squishy squeaky stuff underneath the vinyl. We've seen noise like this when multiple issues show up at the same time. It can be a complex concern to diagnose because it usually takes multiple factors to get this to happen. The BIGGEST factor for me would be the UNDERPAD! Start there. It is the weakest link in the chain and it is the EASIEST link to investigate on your own. Your bill from Costco should have the name of the underpad listed. If it does not, contact Costco and have them produce it for your. If the installers used the WRONG underpad, then they are on the hook for the repair. Thankfully you used Costco...they normally have excellent customer service. Sadly, you used Costco...they are not flooring experts which means they don't know how to pick flooring companies. Good luck. Start with the underpad. I think that is your ticket to freedom from this nasty floor. And no, it is not your chair...it is the floor.