Laminate Flooring

[Michael Garcia]

Would you put 7mm aka 5/16" laminate down in a rental or is that too thin? Home Depot carries a variety of them but a lot of the colors only come in 7mm. Just want to make sure it's still durable. 

[John Santero]

How do investors say it "screams cheap" when they have no idea what area and price point the person is placing the product?

Hardwoods are not rocks. They scratch, you need to sand and re-stain and re ploy. It costs 2-5 bucks for a crew to do it with materials. Its not for everyone.

The problem is in the install. Not the material. Leaving gaps, allowing chips - as well as water will damage many laminates. 

I figure if I can get an additional 2 turns from carpet- its worth the extra cost. Around here I can get carpet installed at $10/yd. 2 turns is 20 and three is 30/sy or 3.33/sq.ft. Three turns is over 6+years! think about that. 

the other thing to factor in is the perceived value. or will the cost increase your rental income.