Investor · Dyersburg, TN · Member since 2015 · 320 posts · 100 votes
Hey Everyone,
I bought a property...Paid 12.5k for it. Has hardwoods throughout...Was covered by carpets, pulled up the carpets today and was ready to install vinyl sheet flooring over it. Lets be honest, the house is 12.5k I'll get 375 in rent for it, trying to do this as cheap as possible. The hardwoods are in good shape...Will the hardwoods last longer than the vinyl sheet flooring or will they get torn to shreds...Never had hardwoods in a rental before so thought I would throw this out to the group. The hardwoods are in such good shape, really a good mop will clean them up fine. Just concerned about the long haul.
Investor · Hagerstown, MD · Member since 2014 · 299 posts · 140 votes
11y
I would keep the hardwoods. It is really appealing to most everyone. Over time they can get scratched and the finish can start coming off in high traffic areas. At that point you can have them refinished or even get away with putting down a couple coats of poly. Maybe down the road if they start looking really bad then you can cover them with vinyl.
Investor · Bellevue, WA · Member since 2013 · 22 posts · 9 votes
11y
I really recommend staying with the hardwoods, where it sounds like you have a true "no regrets" move. When we find good wood floors under carpet, we spruce it up and keep it. Per Beth L., it is appealing to just about everyone, and will be a nice retention for your clients. The wood is more open to damage, but I would never consider using that as a reason to cover them with vinyl on my own places. The benefits of a) lower cost and b) better appeal make the case.
We also have used the vinyl option, but it just doesn't resonate with our renters quite same way as real wood floors!
Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
11y
All I do is lightly sand and hit them with 2 or 3 coats of poly . Shiny ,durable , sure you will get scratches , big deal . I did a 1200 sq ft rental I have , 1 /2 day quick sanding and clean up , A little less than 2 hours first coat , 1 hour second coat the next day and day three the final . Between rental f the vibrating sander , and supplies around $ 250.00
Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 688 votes
11y
I always rent a drum sander, thick grit sanding rolls ( 24-36 grit) for the drum) sand the f out of existing hardwoods. Belt sander and or grind the edges and steps. Wood fill and stain bad spots. 2 coats of semi gloss poly. New, bulletproof floor. Done this 10+ times
Rental Property Investor · St. Petersburg, FL · Member since 2017 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
7y
@Kyle Penland for $375 rent, why spend money to cover perfectly usable floors? Unless the wood is trashed, keep the floors as long as you can and save the money