I’m looking for recommendations on some durable, nice looking, and relitively inexpensive flooring for rentals. What do you recommend for living rooms/bedrooms and kitchens. Thanks
JP
I like to have some type of tile or vinyl in the kitchen/bath. We’ve used composite laminate floor tiles. They run between $1-1.50/sqft. We also put laminate wood flooring in the living rooms and some bedrooms of some of our units. We got the cheaper stuff that you can find for about the same price as those laminate floor tiles. Both are easy to work with. We’re pulling some carpet out of our house and my in-laws are pulling some carpet out of theirs too. All of it is in pretty good shape, so that will go in some units too. Can’t beat free!
JP,
You can get some nice looking pergo for about $2.00-$2.50 sq. ft at Menards. The type I was looking at already had underlayment built in to the planks which mades it even easier to install.
Joe
jfpen,
There is NO DURABLE flooring when it comes to rentals. Tenants WILL destroy anything you put in. Carpeting can be destroyed in a matter of months. They’ll get candle wax in it, rip holes in it, and spill things they never clean up. Laminate swells if it gets wet and contrary to the silly claims by the laminate maker - it is NOT indestructable. You can fairly easily chip the edges; scratch it when dragging heavy objects across it; etc. Tile can be easily broken. Vinyl can be easily ripped, even if it is rip-proof. Anything glued to the floor is a disaster as soon as it is installed!
The bottom line is GO CHEAP! If the floors are wood, I paint them with Brownstone colored floor paint from Lowes. That is my first choice. My second choice is cheap carpet, because it is easy to install. I can do a room in an hour - EASY! Next? Laminate or vinly tiles? Next? Sheet vinyl. Whatever you do, make it CHEAP! You’ll be replacing it no matter what you do!
Mike
Go cheap as possible. Some cheap carpets is what what I use. Many times I replace carpet and make a deal with installer to reuse the peds other hardwares… many times I can find gently used carpets or lots that are defective.
Cheap is the key. I install carpet on my last rental for $1.11 SF. That home went for two years lease… it will be worth it.
Good luck.
DFW
Go with a darker color carpet if you can, It will hide stains better.
Cheep Flooring costs More in the long haul
I have been doing rentals for well Over 20 years
If it’s at all possable I rip every bit of carpet out at the onset of a rental
In My opinion carpet and sheet flooring are both a waiste of money!
you will end up replaceing them every time you rent again
So you take the funds from the security right?
wrong! what happens when they bolt and you get stuck
I personaly look for houses with hard wood floors
If they dont have hard wood I usualy install a decent laminant floor
as they tend to hold up 10 times longer than any carpet
I tend to like Tile in baths and kitchens
once the initial expence of purchace is done I never have to mess with those floors again!
its pretty hard for anyone to wreck a tile floor.
you can find great deals on tile at many Home Depots and Lowes stores close outs etc
I usualy get a few extra pieces and set them aside for any issue in the years to come
I have used laminant in Kitchens with good results in the past
But in the long run you will by more carpet and sheet flooring that will end up costing you more and more over the years compaired to real wood. tile or laminant
Just my two cents
I’m with ABS. Cheap flooring is, well, cheap. I also like hardwood, tile, and wood-look laminate. I would sand and urethane a wood floor as it looks great everytime. A painted floor needs more maintenance.
I use area rugs rather than carpet. They are inexpensive ($60 for a 5 x 8) and look good and can be easily cleaned or replaced. I have carpeted over a kitchen floor before because it was too uneven to do anything else. The carpet still looks ok after 5 years. We have it cleaned between tenants at the first sign of soil.
But my tenants aren’t as hard on the units as those of you who have difficult low-income tenants. Usually they are just nice working folk or retirees.
Furnishedowner