Hardwood, Laminate, Tile, or Carpet? What do you use?

[chrisevans]

From these options, hardwood would be best to use. Hardwoods are easy to clean and maintain. In terms of color, it is no problem whether its dark or light because wood colors stays for a long period. Its durability is of no question because hardwoods are tough and strong and are not easy to get scraped or scratched. It is only expensive, so if your budget is tight, carpet would be the best alternative.


Chris Evans

[Kelly luvs Bandit Signs]

I have not heard of anyone using painted cement floors for anywhere
except their own home.  However, I will explore that option in the future.

-Carpet [No]
-Wood enginnered, solid, acrylic, [No]
-Ceramic tile- [Yes]
-Linoleum- [Yes]

I use  ceramic tile in all my long term units with a PEI of 3. This holds up
pretty well and I haven't had any problems....yet!

[M.R. Real Estate]

You don't want to put yourself in a position where you have trouble renting out your property because it looks bad...know what I mean?

Does anybody paint basement concrete floors?
I've seen it done and it seems to be a good change: quick and cheap.

Excellent statement.  I have seen so many properties where people just flip poorly and hope to rent it to low-income renters and remain vacant for more than 90 days. 

As for concrete floors in the basement, it is easy to do, just a mess with the dust so be sure to vacuum one more time JUST BEFORE you begin painting and seal off the area for 24 hours so you don't ruin the paint job and it cures properly.  You do have the option of waterproofing if you want to prevent minimal water damage but it is more costly to fix.

[jonesy]

What I use depends totally on the market I'm in. I look at the neighborhood and other properties in the same price range. I typically try to be slightly nicer than the competition with my finished materials. Your renters/ buyers see the finished product. This is not a place to skimp, but it's also not a place to be way nicer than the competition - this results is lower returns on your investment.

So check out the competition and be slightly better than they are!

[BushyMule]

I used carpet, vinyl, and tile in 1 side and tile, carpet, and laminate in the other (side I live in). I used a local carpet company and got a good deal. I think I paid .87 per sq. ft for the carpet and installation I could be wrong on this though has been awhile. I used the Allure vinyl flooring you can get from home depot. It looks pretty good, incredibly easy to lay. I purchased it through their Bid Room so only paid .75 per sq. ft also.

I am a big fan of ceramic tile. You can find decent tile at salvage stores for real cheap (paid .40 - .67 sq. ft) and it doesn't cost too much to install. It really makes bathrooms and kitchens pop and people will pay a small premium for it. I also put a tile backsplash in the kitchen. I am getting anywhere from $50-$100 more per month in my area because of small amenities like these, paying for my extra costs in about a year. The durability of tile is also better, so it will continue to pay for itself year after year.

I agree with others about laminate flooring.  I purchased mine at a salvage store. The quality wasn't the best, but surprisingly good considering it only cost around .70-.80 cents per ft. It looks great, easy to lay, and is durable.

[jaqlene]

Wooden flooring has edge over carpet flooring in many ways because wooden flooring is more durable, easy to clean, odorless, stain free. In addition, you can choose among wide variety of wooden flooring according to your will and budget you got.

[TabithaW]

I like using the self-stick vinyl tiles in the kitchen and sometimes the bathroom. I also have put down slate tile in some of the bathrooms and kitchens. It looks better and I'm usually able to get a little higher rent as a result. I also make sure I have decent bathroom fans to keep the moisture low so it doesn't cause any mold growth in the grout. For bedrooms, I usually either have carpet or if there are wood floors, I'll refinish them. I prefer not to use carpet but if I do, then I usually find the lowest price stuff that still has decent stain protection. I try to get a darker carpet to hide any stains.

[karluurb]

That appears to cool thread! We'll try to throw this a reference in our hardwood refinishing information section. Moreover i always prefer laminate flooring as it is very affordable to get.