​I have a multi family and need to replace the carpet on the 2nd

[Anthony Costa]

I would prefer not to replace the carpet with new carpet, instead I would like to do a laminate floor. The tenant on the first floor already complains that she could here every conversation that is taking place upstairs. I'm I stuck with having to stick with carpet and use a thicker pad? 

[Michael Boyer]

Good topic. 

I am not a big carpet fan generally and products like LVT are becoming consensus favorites of DIY landlords (for ease of installation, durability, cost, etc).

But one possible exception could be an upstairs unit with poor sound proofing.

If you already hear complaints from existing carpet, it may continue or increase with laminate or possibly even a resilient surface (but see more below).

My best hack for the upstairs in confronting some ugly carpet if you like laminate

1) Look into a sound proofing underlayment (I have used Floor Muffler, pricey but have not gotten many complaints from downstairs, but upstairs tenant is quiet type...Others products are on the market. This is just a big box store solution, see more ideas below...) 

2) Then also add large area rugs for the rooms and runners for the hallway. Maybe also why I have not gotten complaints. More or less like a thin pad-less carpet, and you can always roll them up to toss them at the end of a long tenancy (buy clearance/sales). 

3) If you allow pets, I try and go cats upstairs, dogs downs (like to jump and play). And without discriminating, a quieter tenant may be ideal for this unit (no jump ropers, party types, or rock bands).

That said, my fourplex also has pretty good soundproofing. You can only vaguely hear a loud sound like a vacuum or loud radio. These may work better for that context.

 If the lower tenant in your place is hearing normal conversations, you may need to look at additional soundproofing barriers or solutions between the units (probably another forum topic and may involve a contractor) or some more advanced products. For example, this site  looks like it has some interesting products, acoustical tests/case studies, etc.:

http://www.soundseal.com/impacta/impacta-home.shtm...

Best of luck