What kind of flooring should I use for a rental

Question

I am a newbie real estate investor and I am doing a lot of the rehab myself and I was wondering what type of flooring long term rental investors use?

Initially I wanted to use vinyl snap together flooring since it is pretty durable and I have worked with it before. The downside is it would take a while to install it myself and I think it would be a more expensive option. I have kinda been against installing carpet but it might be an easier and cheaper alternative.

I would love any and all thoughts. Thank you!

Gregory Schwartz · Answer

I've really enjoyed the glue-down laminate planks my flooring company has. Durable and easy to replace if one gets scratched. We've used them in all our rentals from the budget houses to the luxury apartments.

Tatum Littleton · Answer

Whatever is cheapest and most durable for your market! I get that what you have looked into may take a little longer to install but you do it once with a long time in between replacing (hopefully), in my opinion, that's worth it. If it is that much more expensive, maybe not but if its reasonably a little more, again in my opinion I think it's worth it.

I also would stay away from carpet, too many opportunities for it to get ruined, try to not let the cheap and easy appeal distract you from the headaches it could cause.

Sean McKee · Answer

If you have class C rentals, I like to use Traffic master Grip Strip Water Resistant Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring. It's like 1.99 per SQFT. Instead of the snap it has an adhesive. It's easy to install and cut. If installed properly it can take beating and it's water resistant. It's pretty easy to switch out pieces that do get damaged.

If installed improperly(I'm the one that installed it), gaps will start to form. But even then for the lower tier market it's still fine. It hasn't buckled up.

With the exception of the one unit I installed, it's held up pretty well.

Aristotle Kumpis · Answer

LVP all the way. Laminate will start to peel and buckle after 4-5 years. I had laminate in one of my rentals and after 5 years, I needed to replace it. I went with LVP and have been very happy with it. Tile is okay, but costs more because of the time it takes to install it correctly.

Alecia Loveless · Answer

@Alec Jacobs We use decent quality mid-grade LVP from Home Depot in all our renovations. It should last a lot longer than carpet and is easy to clean. With a little effort you can also replace a section if you absolutely have to and have kept a little of what you used as leftovers.

I have mostly B, C+ units which is based solely on the fact that there are NO new units in my market. 98% of the housing units available in my market are 40+ years old. Our units are typically much nicer and more recently renovated than other units in my market.

Dan H. · Answer

For concrete foundation, concrete dye.  Good enough for high class properties if done by someone that knows what they are doing.  Virtually indestructible.  Can easily be repaired. Can last decades.

LVF is typically good enough for up to class b.   It holds up fairly well, is moderately priced. Some can handle water well.  I recently placed in a class a unit (almost $2k/ft value) because it is beach unit and expect higher water contact (normally class a gets real wood).Carpet in common areas in short run is cheap but long run will cost more than concrete stain or LVF.  Carpet can hold up fairly well in bedrooms.

Tile is expensive.   It will typically last long enough that it goes out of style before it needs replacing from excess damage.

Good luck

Dave Spooner · Answer

It depends on how much you're willing to spend. I know someone who was in the same situation and ended up doing carpet because it was a cheaper alternative and didn't regret it.

Peter Stewart · Answer

I would use tile in the kitchen and bathrooms ideally, and then LVP in the rest of the property. If tile is not in the budget, then LVP everywhere. It's durable, affordable, and waterproof.

Patrick Drury · Answer

@Alec Jacobs It depends on the location. Look at properties up for rent in the neighborhood that are advertising for the rent you are looking to achieve. For example, if you are looking to get $1,000 a month and all the available rentals on Zillow have hardwoods for a comparable-sized property/ unit you would want to add hardwoods. If you plan on doing section 8 LVP is fine. Personally not a fan of carpet, but you might be able to get away with it in the bedrooms.

What kind of flooring should I use for a rental

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