Ginny21's Profile

After a spray-painting snafu in my home office, I needed to replace the carpet with something cheap. Tundra was the only affordable option. I just spent the weekend installing it (in white) and here are my takes on the pros and cons:

Pros:
1) can't beat the price
2) don't get me wrong, it's a LOT of work, but it installs pretty easy. Even for a first-time floor layer like me, I was able to get a perfect fit by just hammering away until everything was snug. No warped boards.
3) looks clean and new
4) based on an experience living in an old apartment with Tundra flooring in the kitchen, once laid, it takes a beating.
5) if you use the IKEA underlayment, it's a very soft and giving surface to walk on--perfect for an office or anywhere else you might be on your feet a bit. Plus, you can use the extra underlayment to pack dishes and gifts--I swear it's the same stuff.

Cons:
1) Chipping of the laminate while laying it is a constant problem. I kept setting chipped boards aside, but when I realized I didn't have enough flooring to do this, I started using them against the walls and in corners. Chips in the white flooring are patched easily with DAP spackle--if you wipe off all the excess with a sponge and let it dry, you have to get within inches to see the patch. Still, patching a brand new floor is annoying.
2) About 5 of the boards (out of 81) were rejects because of a printing error in the lamination where the white didn't extend all the way to the edge. This was actually hard to spot until another row had been laid next to it, which resulted in undoing and redoing work.
3) It doesn't look like hardwood, it looks like an IKEA floor.

The old maxim that you get what you pay for is generally true, but here I think you get slightly more than you pay for. The cost is well below average and the quality (not just looks, but overall quality, durability) is average. I also love what a clean and modern look the white flooring has given my office. I should ruin things with spray paint more often.