Any long term rental flooring experience?

Question

I’ve tried many floor types over the last 25 yrs. I’m looking for anyone with long term experience in rentals with 10mm laminate versus vinyl planking.  If so what thickness planking are you using? I go through many pallets of material and am trying to determine if the double cost will be worth it long term.

Eric Mayer · Answer

My family has owned Carpet One stores my whole life and I have many years of flooring sales experience.

Do yourself a favor and get the porcelain tile that looks like wood as someone mentioned above. Laminate will swell up when it gets wet and LVP will get beat up. I have had everything in my rentals and tile is the best bet overall. Pay for some extra tiles in case you ever need to replace a few.

Greg M. · Answer

Consider the ceramic tile that looks like wood. I put that in a unit 7 years ago and was just in the unit this weekend. The floors looked fabulous. No damage or wear at all. Looked freshly installed.

Ed Emmons · Answer

That’s the problem, tenants that don’t care. All will last 15-20 years in our own homes. In the very early years I tried carpet and got 60 days. Then I went to VCT commercial glued tile which lasts in Walmart for years but after 2 with c class tenants, they looked pretty bad. Then I went to 7-8mm laminate from Lowes and got 3-5 years depending on tenant. Since we get a lot of snow and they won’t take their shoes off, the moisture ruined a lot of them. I am now on 10-12mm plank from lumber liquidators and am getting more than 5 years but still seeing some moisture problems. As Account Closedsaid on mobile homes getting that subfloor level and solid can be a challenge at times. Thanks for the input.

Terrell Garren · Answer

I've put the cheap Lowe's 7mm .69 cents/sf wood laminate in 15 or so SFHs (not including baths and kitchens).  It still looks fine in several houses after 10+ years.  I put vinyl plank in a couple houses recently.  I'm not sure the 3X cost is worth my lack of worry about water damage.  I don't allow pets, so that limits the value add of VP.  Best thing I learned lately - groutable vinyl tile.  Looks good, so easy to lay it's almost fun.  Keyword is almost.  About 1/10th the labor of porcelain or ceramic tile.

Kenny Dahill · Answer

I put the LVT in my last 3 townhouses 2 years ago.  The first tenants just moved out last week.  The floors look great!

I would highly recommend LVT from Lowes for any low-B / C rentals.  Not only is it cheap to buy, but it's extremely fast to install.  My contract put down all 600-800sf easily in a day.

I'm a fan!

Johann Jells · Answer

I've put down a lot of Costco 8mm laminate, and for the most part, it has held up fine. One of the 1st rooms was my son's that he moved into at 3. He's about to turn 21, little boys are hard on floors, and it still looks great, as do other entire apartments from that time.  My only major failures are from water, and the newest version has a 24 hr leak resistance. I've not tried it yet. If you hit a sale, you can get the Costco laminate for under $1.40/ft.

I've installed the Tranquility 5mm vinyl click planks in 3 kitchens and a stairwell, and I don't like it nearly as much.  On a long hallway run it's had some joint separation due to contraction and in general the joints show more. Easy to cut, just score and snap, but harder to lay, far more of struggle to get it to snap together properly than the more rigid laminate. I even dust the joints with baby powder to get them to slide more easily. And you're not supposed to tap it together, though I do, and it's difficult. But there's always spots where that's the only way.

Ed Emmons · Answer

Thanks @John Collins and @Terrell Garren. Where do you get groutable vinyl? Never heard of it.

Terrell Garren · Answer

Lowe's. Peel and stick groutable vinyl tile.

Account Closed · Answer

Right. Which is why I am hoping the LVP works. We have snow here too and moisture and click-lock wood or laminate doesn't work.

As an appraiser, I ran into a couple of homes over the years that had sheet vinyl in the entire house - lol. Of course that's a horrible idea for anyone who wants to sell a property later, but it just made me laugh and I couldn't help but think it's not the worst idea in the world. You know, get it dirty and hose it down - lol.

On a side note and a bit macabre, there's an urban legend out there that supposedly comes from the neighbor girl of one of the big union bosses in Chicago from back in the day. According to her/the legend, there was a room in the basement that was vinyl on the floors AND walls, and the only thing in the room was a table with a meat grinder, a hose, and a drain - lol.

Any long term rental flooring experience?

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