Hardwood vs Tile vs Lifeproof

[Tyler Boykin]

So flipping an 1800 sqft house and trying to decide on floors. I over budgeted on this one because i wasnt really sure what it would cost.

I have a lumber liquidators near me that sells a white oak plank for $1.19 sqft (i bought 2 bundles to check it out, and about 20% is trash). The glue seems to be the expensive part im struggling to find anything thats not going to run me $2000 for the whole house. (Unsure on sealer/varnish as of now) with me and qn assistant i can probably do it alone in 5-7 days.

Tile i have found good enough stuff at $1.50sqft and then the thin set would run around $700 for the house. And grout $500. Probably 7-10 days with 2 assistants.

Life proof comes with a mosture bearier and is $2.99 a sqft super easy install probably 2-3 days alone.

I have no idea which will raise the property value the best. At first i thought wood in rooms tile everywhere else. Some houses here have wood everywhere but bathrooms. Ive never done the lifeproof stuff but i keep being told its the way to go but im afraid people think its just cheap crap. 

what do you all put in your remodels?

[Caroline Gerardo]

Lifeproof/vinyl is okay for low end house, it yells "cheap".  White oak plank is neutral and looks fabulous if installed by an expert. I suggest a wood floor that is already sealed which saves time, labor and extra step. Large tile for bathroom and kitchen floors that flows with wood, no bump thresholds in between. Don't do grey it's already out of style. Keep any flooring material warranty information.

[Bruce Woodruff]

Engineered Wood everywhere except bathrooms, even kitchen. It flows better and is generally how the 'high-end' folks with designers do it. Like Caroline said - no molding between tile and wood. Some wood manufacturers say this will void their warranty, but do it anyway.

I wouldn't use vinyl flooring in a doghouse. 

[Jim Kalish]

I hate to say this but it depends.  What are the other rehabed homes in the area installing?  What' the price point?  There is nothing like 3/4" tongue and groove hardwood.  But that's expensive and needs a pro to put it down.  I know others are saying vinyl is cheap  And up until recently I would agree.  But LVP, Luxury Vinyl Planking, is affordable, easy to install, forgiving on slightly uneven floors, and it is water resistant.  I've put it in rentals and in higher end restorations for others.  It can go in every room in the house.  THe new trend is having the same flooring throughout the entire level of the house.  But hard woods in the kitchen and bath can be  problem.  And since you are talking about glues I doubt you are looking at true 3/4" hardwood.  At 1.19/sq ft I'm guessing it's 8mm laminate.  Laminate flooring simulates wood with a photographic applique layer under a clear protective layer. The inner core layer is usually composed of melamine resin and fiber board materials.

Go to a few open houses for new homes in your area and see what they are doing.  If similar priced 1800 sq ft new homes are doing engineered flooring then you have your answer.  Remember, you aren't the one who is going to live there.  Put in what your targeted buyer will want.  Have a lot of eco-friendly young professionals looking to buy in your area?  Bamboo is the way to go.  A little more pricey but if you highlight that its from easily renewable source you can charge  premium.  There is no one answer.  Do your local research before deciding on something this important.

Good luck

[Colleen F.]

@Tyler Boykin what floors do you have?  The biggest issue will be what surfaces are you dealing with initially. Good plywood subfloor?  Wood floor that can be refinished?   I would do tile or lifeproof in bathroom and wood elsewhere. Prefinished hardwood will be easiest that is usually interlocking or have a professional do onsite finished wood.  You can add a lot to the cost if the subfloors are uneven.  if you have wood floors can they be refinished? 

[Tyler Boykin]

this is the wood for 1.19 i bought a bundle this is the first couple sqft from what i pulled off. But as you can see some are bad, some missing tounges and some arent even wide enough. Im saying glue because its a solid slab. 

this is the wood floor that i did in my own house. It was much darker and less flaws also its a second story so it was all on wood no glue necessary. 

this is what i did In my bathroom, im by no means an expert though does it need to be better than that? 

and lol grey tile in my bathroom im already out dated =/ what is the new style?

[Colleen F.]

@Tyler Boykin if it is 3/4 inch plank solid  not engineered it is a nail down project.  There must be some information on what you bought. That looks like plank but seems short and that is cheap for plank

[Jim Kalish]

@Tyler Boykin I stand corrected.  I've never run into hardwoods at that price point.  Since its not FAS (first and seconds) you're going to run into a lot of variation and less desirable pieces, so a lot of waste.  As @Colleen F. pointed out hardwoods are normally nailed to a wooden subfloor.  Based on what you said above it sounds like this is going over a slab.  This is not a recommended practice for hardwood. It can be done but it takes a lot of prep.  Take a look at this link from the American Hardwood Information Center

https://www.hardwoodinfo.com/s...

 Concrete will wick water constantly no matter how old it is.  This will lead to warping and cracking.  Even if you put down a good concrete sealer/vapor barrier you run the risk of getting moisture up under the flooring.  So some sort of wooden subfloor on sleepers is recommended.  This is getting expensive.

Well, I've been enough of a nah sayer on the hardwood.  Best of luck and let us now how it all goes.

[Jim Kalish]

BTW, the hardwood floor you installed in your own home looks great!

[Tyler Boykin]

Yes it is 3/4" plank it is solid not engineered, and yes its very cheap we have a lumber liquidators here. Im not sure how it would be a nail down project on concrete that would be a whole lot of drilling. Amd if i used plywood under it the height would be so high i would have to lift the frames of the doors. 

[Bruce Woodruff]

You can seal the concrete with a product they call Dragonskin. AKA Redgaurd if you get it at Home Depot/ Pretty expensive but works great. You can glue down wood, esp engineered but its a little tricky, just trowel it out way it it way out in front of you.....

[Colleen F.]

@Tyler Boykin that isn't the correct flooring over concrete. You don't typically glue down plank. You need to put down a vapor barrier and plywood if you use it.  If you install engineered wood You have to have a level, dry,  solid concrete surface and put a barrier underneath it. I would do a floating and not a glue install with engineered wood because it is over concrete.  If you have any issues with the surface you may be best to use the lifeproof as it is more forgiving.  Really I think in your case it is going to be about the subfloor.  In a split we did go with carpet in one room because it was over concrete and would be very cold but you don't say where you are located. What did you take up carpet? 

[Matt Bishop]

@Tyler Boykin,

I installed hand scraped hickory “Engineered Wood Floor, glued down directly to concrete slab for my personal home and I love it. It was expensive. For my rental houses, I use Luxury Vinyl Plank from Floor and Decor. It’s a lot less cost than Engineered Wood and looks almost as good. I am not a fan of laminate. It sounds cheap and hollow when you walk on it with hard soled shoes and that’s annoying to live with. I’m going to use Luxury Vinyl Plank on everything except higher end homes.

[Colleen F.]

@Matt Bishop you're in texas so not much humidity, how long has it been glued down? I think floating is better in damper areas.