I managed to lay all the track on cork bedding but admit I did find laying the flexi track quite difficult at first. I've never really laid track properly, apart from joining it all together on the kitchen table when I was a kid, much to the annoyance of my mum.
I found spacing the sleepers correctly on the flexi track quite vexing, and sometimes the ends would come out of the sleepers. I eventually got the hang of it.
I bought some point motors as this really interest me. I like the idea of being able to control it without touching the circuit and I think the kids will particularly like this.
I wasn't sure how to mount them, or, I didn't really have the confidence. So, after some research on this site I elected to mount them straight under the track but cutting a rectangular hole. I found it simpler to join the pin to the track, but it was only when I came to ballast that I was flummoxed! Some old 'Chance' cards from Monopoly seemed good to block the hole but I found it difficult to ballast over them properly without pink showing through.