ceramic tiles in living room

[David Chan]

So, i was thinking of using ceramic tiles for the entire upstairs of a duplex. A investor friend of mind said she not seen that before and it might be unattractive to potential tenants. I wanted to go with ceramic because of strength and durability. Is it that unusual?

[Matthew Underwood]

I find it attractive, but consider the cost of the cement board you would have to install as a subfloor because it is upstairs and not on a slab. If your looking for something low maintnence and easy to clean (unlike carpet) I'd go with engineered hardwood. Engineered hardwood is generally 5/16"-3/8" thick and only about 1.19 a sqft at your local Lumber Liquidators. It's pretty comparable in price to laminate and you can refinish it 1-2 times unlike laminate. I put it in all my rentals for the cost effectivness and the lack of maintnece compared to carpet. Also on a side note, when a property is appraised Engineered hardwood is valued the same as real hardwood so it is a big bonus if you decide to refi/cashout/sell the home.

Hope this helps,

Matt