VOCs & Flooring in Rentals. Something to Consider?

[Grace Wang]

So as I prepare for closing on my first house hack (hooray!), I have been digging into various types of flooring to replace the current and disgusting carpet with. 

When it comes to prepping a home for renters, versus a "forever-home", do you consider the quality of material when making cosmetic updates? More specifically -- considering volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in LVP and laminate, and the health effects that could come with exposure to the VOCs. 

Let's be real for a second: LVP and Laminate flooring alternatives look sleek, trendy, crisp, and clean... and make economical sense when comparing to hardwood/bamboo. LVP and laminate flooring appeal to the general masses when marketing rentals online and in person. BUT, the downside of those flooring types come in when we dig into longterm exposure on health effects. It seems that health risks are slightly less concerning to the overall-healthy individual, but what about the more vulnerable populations (immunocompromised, children, pregnant, elderly, etc), and those who are renting a home for longer term?

Does it make sense to update flooring with Greenguard Certified flooring? Or just to go with the flooring that costs the least $/SF, and makes most economical sense?

Really curious to what my fellow BP community things! My background is rooted in public health and nutrition, so I can't help that my brain defaults to health-related topics - ha! Sorry not sorry.

Respond to this topic, or shoot me a message and let me know your thoughts!