Laid my first laminate floor over the weekend - the click together type.
No written instructions, just a series of IKEA style pictures. At the
beginning it shows a tongue against the wall with a big cross through
it. Clearly 'do not start with the tongue facing the wall' So started
with the groove against the wall which is just the way you do it with
solid wood floor boards.

Followed all the other instructions but found it much harder going than
it implied - it was not possible to just click the boards together
because the edge of the new board had to go under the existing board so
needed the services of a gentle persuader to slide the board along.
Ended up constructing the whole room length in one piece before
attaching the whole lot in one go.

I now realise that the picture with the tongue against the wall and a
cross through it does not mean 'do not start with the tongue against the
wall' but 'DO start with the tongue against the wall but do not put it
right up to the wall' and that it should have all been laid the other
way around. A single sentence would have been a lot clearer.

Are their customers really too dim to be able to read a set of
instructions. Nothing stopping the manufacturers including pictures to
illustrate the text if that would help.

Andrew

On Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:44:48 +0100, Andrew May wrote:

Laid my first laminate floor over the weekend - the click together type.
No written instructions, just a series of IKEA style pictures. At the
beginning it shows a tongue against the wall with a big cross through
it. Clearly 'do not start with the tongue facing the wall' So started
with the groove against the wall which is just the way you do it with
solid wood floor boards.

....

I now realise that the picture with the tongue against the wall and a
cross through it does not mean 'do not start with the tongue against the
wall' but 'DO start with the tongue against the wall but do not put it
right up to the wall' and that it should have all been laid the other
way around. A single sentence would have been a lot clearer.

Are their customers really too dim to be able to read a set of
instructions. Nothing stopping the manufacturers including pictures to
illustrate the text if that would help.

Multilingual and therefore marginally cheaper...

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 23/04/2012 11:47, Bob Eager wrote:

Multilingual and therefore marginally cheaper...


They managed to print the 'feature list' saying how great it was in
god-knows how many different languages. Why not the important parts?

On 23/04/2012 12:42, Andrew May wrote:
On 23/04/2012 11:47, Bob Eager wrote:

Multilingual and therefore marginally cheaper...


They managed to print the 'feature list' saying how great it was in
god-knows how many different languages. Why not the important parts?

That's to help sell it... you had already paid - job done!


--
Cheers,

John.

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In article , Bob Eager
writes
On Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:44:48 +0100, Andrew May wrote:

Laid my first laminate floor over the weekend - the click together type.
No written instructions, just a series of IKEA style pictures. At the
beginning it shows a tongue against the wall with a big cross through
it. Clearly 'do not start with the tongue facing the wall' So started
with the groove against the wall which is just the way you do it with
solid wood floor boards.

...

I now realise that the picture with the tongue against the wall and a
cross through it does not mean 'do not start with the tongue against the
wall' but 'DO start with the tongue against the wall but do not put it
right up to the wall' and that it should have all been laid the other
way around. A single sentence would have been a lot clearer.

Are their customers really too dim to be able to read a set of
instructions. Nothing stopping the manufacturers including pictures to
illustrate the text if that would help.

Multilingual and therefore marginally cheaper...

So it can be universally misunderstood :-/
--
fred
it's a ba-na-na . . . .

On Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:59:45 +0100, fred wrote:

In article , Bob Eager
writes
On Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:44:48 +0100, Andrew May wrote:

Laid my first laminate floor over the weekend - the click together
type. No written instructions, just a series of IKEA style pictures.
At the beginning it shows a tongue against the wall with a big cross
through it. Clearly 'do not start with the tongue facing the wall' So
started with the groove against the wall which is just the way you do
it with solid wood floor boards.

...

I now realise that the picture with the tongue against the wall and a
cross through it does not mean 'do not start with the tongue against
the wall' but 'DO start with the tongue against the wall but do not
put it right up to the wall' and that it should have all been laid the
other way around. A single sentence would have been a lot clearer.

Are their customers really too dim to be able to read a set of
instructions. Nothing stopping the manufacturers including pictures to
illustrate the text if that would help.

Multilingual and therefore marginally cheaper...

So it can be universally misunderstood :-/

Exactly.



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

Putting together a corner desk from IKEA a couple of years ago, I was
impressed by the text-free instructions. I particularly liked the fact
that a key stages of the assembly they had clearly marked parts that
could be confused with a picture and a big cross through them, which in
my case meant I double checked alignment before proceeding.

Jethro_uk wrote

Putting together a corner desk from IKEA a couple of
years ago, I was impressed by the text-free instructions.

I just got one with my Gerni pressure washer and
its a lot harder to do well than you might think.

Same with signs in public, much harder to make the
meaning of a sign without words than you might think.

Have fun doing that with the usual hour restricted
parking and type of use sign for example.

I particularly liked the fact that a key stages of the assembly
they had clearly marked parts that could be confused with
a picture and a big cross through them, which in my case
meant I double checked alignment before proceeding.

"Rod Speed" writes:

Jethro_uk wrote

Putting together a corner desk from IKEA a couple of
years ago, I was impressed by the text-free instructions.

I just got one with my Gerni pressure washer and
its a lot harder to do well than you might think.

Same with signs in public, much harder to make the
meaning of a sign without words than you might think.

Every time I rent a car, I need to read the 100 page manual to find out
what this year's icons are supposed to mean.
(Note 'need to read'. Not 'do read' !)

--
Windmill, Use t m i l l
J.R.R. Tolkien:- @ O n e t e l . c o m
All that is gold does not glister / Not all who wander are lost

Well sounds like the picture was unclear. I wonder, did the person looking
at the picture actually understand what was needed when they approved it.
Its almost as nonsensical as the song you quoted. If a picture paints a
thousand words, then why can't I paint you. What?

Brian

--
Brian Gaff -
Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff'
in the display name may be lost.
Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Andrew May" wrote in message
...
Laid my first laminate floor over the weekend - the click together type.
No written instructions, just a series of IKEA style pictures. At the
beginning it shows a tongue against the wall with a big cross through it.
Clearly 'do not start with the tongue facing the wall' So started with the
groove against the wall which is just the way you do it with solid wood
floor boards.

Followed all the other instructions but found it much harder going than it
implied - it was not possible to just click the boards together because
the edge of the new board had to go under the existing board so needed the
services of a gentle persuader to slide the board along. Ended up
constructing the whole room length in one piece before attaching the whole
lot in one go.

I now realise that the picture with the tongue against the wall and a
cross through it does not mean 'do not start with the tongue against the
wall' but 'DO start with the tongue against the wall but do not put it
right up to the wall' and that it should have all been laid the other way
around. A single sentence would have been a lot clearer.

Are their customers really too dim to be able to read a set of
instructions. Nothing stopping the manufacturers including pictures to
illustrate the text if that would help.

Andrew

Andrew May wrote

Laid my first laminate floor over the weekend - the click together type.
No written instructions, just a series of IKEA style pictures. At the
beginning it shows a tongue against the wall with a big cross through it.
Clearly 'do not start with the tongue facing the wall' So started with the
groove against the wall which is just the way you do it with solid wood
floor boards.

Followed all the other instructions but found it much harder going than it
implied - it was not possible to just click the boards together because
the edge of the new board had to go under the existing board so needed the
services of a gentle persuader to slide the board along. Ended up
constructing the whole room length in one piece before attaching the whole
lot in one go.

I now realise that the picture with the tongue against the wall and a
cross through it does not mean 'do not start with the tongue against the
wall' but 'DO start with the tongue against the wall but do not put it
right up to the wall' and that it should have all been laid the other way
around. A single sentence would have been a lot clearer.

Are their customers really too dim to be able to read a set of
instructions.

Its more that if they did that, they'd have to do it in a dozen languages.

Nothing stopping the manufacturers including pictures to illustrate the
text if that would help.