[John-Doe]

I'm in the middle of a kitchen remodel, all the hard planning has been done, cabinets purchased and assembled etc, but I still haven't yet decided on a floor.

Ideally I'd like to tile, but the room (kitchen/diner/den) is about 400sq foot and it's going to be too expensive this year. So I've been looking at the Tundra flooring, but I'm worried about how it'll cope with the moisture in the kitchen.

My question is, has anyone tried putting another coat or two of polyurethane varnish on? I was thinking of putting a marine varnish on there, but would it actually adhere to the floor?

Any thoughts would be gratefully appreciated

thanks

[dalbrough]

Just my .02 but I don't think that would work - it comes prefinished and I really doubt it would stick to the factory finish.

Note - the floor will swell if it is exposed to a lot of water - I have it in two of my sons bedrooms.

Just noticed this was your second post - big warm welcome to Ikeafans!

[ted]

Marhaba John-Doe

TUNDRA is laminate flooring.
It's a photograph of wood
printed onto a plastic laminate
surface that's bonded to an MDF
core. It looks like wood (kinda)
but you could not varnish it any
more than you could varnish a
laminate countertop. The varnish
would not be able to penetrate the
surface to form a strong bond.
Since it's also a floating floor it
expands and contracts (slightly)
with heat and humidity. The laminate
surface is very tough and durable.
You shouldn't have a problem with
using it in a kitchen as long as you
don't spill a lot of water on it without
immediately moping it up. Water
cannot penetrate the plastic surface,
but if a lot of water gets into the joints
it can cause the MDF core to swell up.

Ted

[crg2mls]

My neighbor attempted to do this with another brand of laminate flooring, the results were awful. As mentioned here as it is not "real" wood it cannot accept the varnish.

I can say that I have laminate in many rooms, including my kitchen. Some have a high gloss finish and others have less of a sheen. I haven't had any real problems with scratches. But I cannot speak to Tundra specifically, I only have products made by other manufacturers.

[fries_n_gravy]

Echoing everyone else here, the TUNDRA is pre-treated with aluminum oxide, and no level of varnish will make that any stronger. The edges are factory sealed to be water resistant, but any large spills or standing water could damage the floor, especially if it seeps into the core through the joints.

If you're really looking at coating the floor, it might be a better idea to try one of the veneered flooring (LAKT, BALK, or KVIST), although engineered flooring will have issues with moisture as well. The true problem will always lie in the HDF/particleboard core (moisture can inevitably seep into the seams), either through separation of the core and the veneer or something worse, so this would have to be something you do after laying in order to treat the seams. I know in the guidelines for using flooring in the showroom it recommends an extra coat of varnish for the veneered flooring to improve its durability, but it also suggests a contractor or flooring professional (vs. our Comm&In people) do this. I am unaware of which works or gives the best results; you may have to get samples and test it out.

I do know that I've spoken to many customers who've used TUNDRA flooring in their kitchens with no problems. The biggest issue is spilling, and is basically prevented with immediate cleanup and/or a small rug or something to soak up moisture in areas where there would possibly be splash over (sink, etc). Any damage is easily (albeit not very conveniently) repaired by swapping out damaged boards.

[John-Doe]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all of the advice.

My other thought was the Kvist bamboo floor, so that plus a couple of coats of varnish sounds like the best plan

cheers