Best flooring for a rental?

[Mike Palmer]

I have seen some that say carpet is the way to go in bedrooms, but others that say it is too expensive to replace and there are on-going costs of cleaning between tenants. Personally I have the tenants pay for cleaning, so this is a non-issue for me other than a few minutes to schedule the cleaning. 

I have heard others say tile flooring because it lasts forever, but I hardly ever hear anyone talk about cleaning and sealing grout as a routine expense. I also hear people saying tile is too expensive and it breaks. I would go with a good quality tile and charge any breakage to the tenants. Cleaning is another matter, because in my area it is not customary to charge the tenant for tile cleaning as it is for carpet. 

I have heard to only use linoleum in kitchens and baths because it does not crack/break and is cheap to replace. 

Seems I have almost always heard NOT to use wood floors, but I have heard a lot of discussion recently on using Allure or similar wood-looking vinyl flooring. I have heard both good and bad things about Allure, but it is fairly cheap, lasts longer than carpet, and is water proof. I have heard of some people that use this in the entire house (bedrooms and basements included) because of the cost to durability, no cleaning, does not crack/break, and doesn't require cleaning like carpet does. 

I went and looked at the Allure at Home Depot. It seems very thin. It is also a floating floor. This makes it easy to install, but doesn't seem as good for durability. Overall I think it might work well though and I am really considering making a switch to Allure or equivalent vinyl type flooring. Has anyone else done this? Are you doing the entire house? Are you happy with the results? How do you do stairs and vertical surfaces, or what do you use there? Carpet always seems to wear quickly on stairs because a lot more force is put right on the edge of the stair a lot more often, so I am looking for something other than carpet on stairs. What do you use? 

So again, what is the consensus on the best flooring to use (where and why)?

[Account Closed]

We just finished putting down Allure in 3/4 of our rental.  Highly, highly recommend it from the standpoint of ease of installation.  I've put down almost every type of flooring out there, with few exceptions.  This was, by far, the easiest.  We'll see how it holds up.

[David Coleman]

Hey Mike pergo have a new laminate water proof called pergo outlast last it can go in any room in the house and it is thicker material also last and have limited lifetime warranty and underlayment come with it at Home depot.David C

[Jacob Anderson]

@Carl Thompson I'll have to agree that real tile or hardwood is a great way to go. You can also put in colored concrete that looks like marble or tile. You can also put a sealer and/or clear finish over the grout so that you do not have to replace it. If it even starts to look questionable just put another clear coat over it or re-seal it. 

We don't need to regrout our jobs. Just make sure that you install the grout the right way the first time.

@David Coleman I would have to check that "water proof" flooring over time, if it has any type of composite material under the laminate - I don't believe it will last at all.

Have an awesome day!

[David Coleman]

Look at your the warranty Jacob Anderson check it out .

[David Coleman]

Look at your the warranty Jacob Anderson check it out . Have a grand day

[Mike Palmer]

Originally posted by @Account Closed:

We just finished putting down Allure in 3/4 of our rental.  Highly, highly recommend it from the standpoint of ease of installation.  I've put down almost every type of flooring out there, with few exceptions.  This was, by far, the easiest.  We'll see how it holds up.

 That looks great!

[Scott MacArthur]

@Carl Thompson

Thanks for your post.  2 questions for you on the engineered hardwood.

Do you prefer the click together or the float type for long term use and the possibility of replacing any damaged boards in the future?

Also, I've seen at Lumber Liquidators that there are thickness differences of the actual top layer of real hardwood on the engineered product, are there any concerns using the thinner layered ones?

The specifications don't mention the actual real wood thickness, just overall thickness of the plank but I could see noticeable differences in the real wood depth.

Thank you

[Allen Culpepper]

real hardwood is horrible, mine is constantly scratched by tenants. I'd go for the engineered wood and its better if it gets wet and much better against scratching. I had small leaks in kitchen and it ruined a lot of my hardwood and it costs quite a bit to repair. Flooring guy I trust said engineered wood is better when it gets wet.

Do now I am in a dilemma as I have carpet in the bedrooms... Should I replace with matching hardwood or replace the carpet? They're small bedrooms so cost wont be too high. I'm not worried about water leaks in bedrooms but scratches are always an issue. Any recommendations?

[Catherine Esera]

I was very interested in installing TrafficMaster Allure Ultra Vinyl Plank Flooring in my mom's late 1940's bungalow house (raised) in Orange County to prepare it for rental.  That is until I read in it's specks that it should be installed in climate controlled environments.  As there is no A/C in the house I emailed the manufacturer and they responded room temps need to stay 45-85 degrees to keep the warranty.  Mom's house gets to over 95 in the summer moths. Has anyone installed this product in a warm house? If so, how did it hold up?

[Carlos Nunez]

I am installing Allure Ultra over concrete in a basement in Utah. I am concerned that it will feel cold during winter, and am considering providing underlayment. Has anybody used it with an underlayment in a colder climate like Utah? If yes, which did you use? What were the results?

Also has anybody used it over a not 100% leveled concrete basement floor? I have a very minor crack and based on the iPhone tool it's only a 1 degree change.

[Mike Palmer]

I would check with the manufacturer and see what tolerance they allow to still consider it a 'level' floor. I had some spots that were not totally level and I just stuck down some thin pieces of cardboard that did the trick. 

I can't really speak about underlayment because the product I used had underlayment already attached. I would think having underlayment would help, but will likely still be cold in the winter. 

[Deanna McCormick]

We did the LVT tile on cement floor was awesome, wood plank look, also did a huge area behind a bar with the 16x16 sq marble look, glued it down, very nice look. got it at menards. good price. good warranty and reviews.

You can use it on stairs just get the rubber edge or metal edge to go on the lip of the step, we found the good rubber edge at flooring supply to the trade warehouse. 

I vote LVT tile glue it down. 

I worked at large complex we had the vinyl plank flooring in main living areas,, we had gaps, looked crappy after about 3 years and if we had a water leak we usually had to replace entire floor, it usually warped, from dishwashers, and baseboard water pipe bursts. and other leaks, 

[Mike Palmer]

@Deanna McCormick are you saying the vinyl plank flooring warped from water? I have never heard of that before. I am not sure why the planks would warp and the tiles wouldn't. Sounds more like an installation issue to me...

[Deanna McCormick]

@Mike Palmer

Sorry !!! Correction,, it was the engineered plank flooring that warped, if it got water damaged,,I stand corrected !! 

[Mike Palmer]

That makes sense. The vinyl is awesome if you anticipate any possibility of water...

[Keith Lewis]

LVT would wear the best but of course it depends on what you intend top get as rent. If you want a ceramic or stone look there are some great looking products in the 3mm to 4mm range that are groutable. I usually prefer one with a rounded edge compared to  a pressed bevel; easier to grout IMHO. If you are looking at a main floor I'd suggest a 4mm click lock not an EVP or WPC; while these are good products they are new in our industry. Use a thin dense underlay on upper floors that is warrantied for use with click lock products. 3mm may separate if the maker is using an older locking system.

Glue down would be my preferred installation but not a pressure sensitive. Use a glue that cures to a hard set so moisture and temperature has less of an effect regarding the subfloor. You really need a pro to use that glue but it's well worth it. Also don't use luan ESPECIALLY INTERIOR GRADE. 1/4" APA approved plywood is best. If you insist, use EXTERIOR grade luan, smooth one side, exterior grades using moisture resistant adhesives. but I still don't recommend them.

Hope that all helps. Email me if yiou have more questions

[Bryan Mitchell]

I am having TARK­ETT flooring layed down tomorrow. It will be the entire upstairs to include bedrooms. I'll let you know how it looks.

[Kristen Brooks]

Originally posted by @Mark J.:

Big Thumbs Up for Allure!

I used it in my basement to rental conversion. (FYI-- I also laid down two complete coats of Dry-Lok masonry waterproofer before laying the flooring.)

 Is this the inter-lock style or the sticky style? Also what color is it? Love it! Thank you! 

[Mark J.]

@Kristen Brooks -- yes, the snap together, inter-locking style. I'd never used the stick-down. The color was Clear Cherry. 

[Todd Dexheimer]

I like real wood if you can afford it. You can get it discounted online if you search and install is not much more that vinyl planking. I am usually around $4.50-$5/sqft for installed pre-finished wood floors (I get quotes for $4-5/sqft installed for vinyl). I run it in the living room, dining room and beds. It will far outlast the vinyl product. I have real wood floors in my places and haven't had to re-sand them in over 9 years even with frequent move outs. 

[Vishakha Penney]

Curious what y'alls thoughts are about refinishing hardwoods vs LVP in a low end rental. This is a 4 bed 2 bath with existing hardwoods in living and bedrooms.

[Mike S.]

Has anyone used the TrafficMaster Allure (Grip Strip Type) in houses with stand up hot water radiators?  With radiators getting up well over 100 deg in the winter it seems possible that the adhesive in that local area may not hold up well.  The same goes for near un-insulated walls.

I suppose a solution could be radiator covers could be used to provide some insulation.

[Andrew Shen]

Strongly considering between vinyl plank and wood look tile. Any updated thoughts? Also for vinyl do you all prefer glue or interlocking?

[Mike Palmer]

I haven't made any flooring changes lately, but next time I do I plan to go with interlocking vinyl plank. Tile is too easy to crack/break if a tenant drops something on it and I don't care for the glue down planks, but that is just me.

[Drew Wiard]

I responded to this thread 4 years ago (see previous posts from a former noob).  Being 4 years further into my investing, I am 100% luxury vinyl plank flooring.  Period.  Lumber liquidators gives me commercial discounts, so 5mm think flooring costs my $1.89/sq ft for NICE stuff.

If I only new then what I know now....