Can you help weigh in on flooring?

[Lauren Bishop]

Just purchased my first buy and hold rental in Madison, AL.  I need help making flooring decisions!  

We're getting feedback from potential tenants that the carpet is old, so I'm going to replace the living room carpet.  Should I replace the floor in the kitchen/dining area as well, which has a few small nicks in it, but otherwise is in good condition  My agent estimated it has another 5 years of life in it.

OPTION 1)  Replace living room flooring only - approx $1800 - ($1100 materials, $700 labor), then replace the kitchen/dining room floor down the line.

• Pros
  • Less expensive up front.
  • Get 5 additional years out of the kitchen/dining vinyl, which is not at the end of its useful life.
• Cons
  • Labor costs for installing downstairs floors will be higher in the long run with two separate installs ($1000 labor for all downstairs at once, likely $1400+ labor for two separate installs).
  • Floors will be different in the living room (luxury vinyl wood plank) and kitchen/dining rooms (a vinyl "tile") both now and when I replace the kitchen/dining floors down the line. 

OPTION 2)  Replace living room, kitchen and dining room floors with luxury vinyl plank - $3240 ($2240 materials, $1000 labor).

• Pros:
  • Downstairs will have uniform flooring, making it look nicer + bigger (could yield higher rents and quicker tenant placement on turnover?).
  • Discount on labor for doing everything in one install (savings of $400)
• Cons: 
  • More expensive up front cost.
  • Removing kitchen/dining floor before the end of its useful life.

I prefer uniform floors in an open space, so I'm leaning towards Option 2, but I don't know if that's a wise business move.  I don't mind paying more upfront, but it's hard to gauge which upgrade choices are going to deliver extra return on the investment... Any thoughts?

As for materials, I am leaning towards luxury vinyl plank.  I want durability and will pay more upfront for a better value over the life of a long term hold. I'm looking at the Mannington Adura Max Prime Tribecca Timber (quoted $2.90/sq foot). It has a ultra-quiet pad, hydroloc core, and a scratch resistant urethane with aluminum oxide wear-layer (see below). 

Any other suggestions for LVP that's a good long term value?  Looking for something with a durable wear layer with a finish of aluminum oxide or ceramic bead.

Here are pictures of the place:

Here is the floor I'm considering, the Mannington Adura Max

Thank you so much for sharing your expertise.  Couldn't have done my first deal without Bigger Pockets!

[Leanne J.]

@Lauren Bishop I just installed the vinyl plank in my home's master bath and then used the slippage to redo the half bath and the area right as you walk into my home. I absolutely love it. Easy to clean, looks like pergo and was super easy to install. I actually installed myself and am (obviously) quite pleased with the result. Depending on what you buy, it also has a lifetime manufacture's warranty, if that helps sway your decision. Anyway, if my vote counts, I go with # 2.