Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
working on a house and just pulled the carpet and pad. the hardwood is a mess. paint stains all over, a few dark spots, some terrible repair job (where they used to have a half wall), just terrible..
it's a rental and want opinions regarding what i should do. carpet it for about $1100 or refinish the wood floor for more than what a carpet would cost me.
Investor · -, IL · Member since 2010 · 409 posts · 616 votes
14y
Rent a sander for $150 and go to town on it. The floors in my last rental I bought were all paint splattered in one of the rooms, and various dark and light spots everywhere else. After sanding I threw on some clear poly. People loved it, they said the floors had so much character.
Bellingham, WA · Member since 2012 · 14 posts · 2 votes
14y
Also depends on if you allow pets. Dogs can go work wood floors over pretty quickly. While carpet only lasts a few years, it is easy to find quality carpet for low prices by buying remnants. I have done this for years and it has worked well.
If I had a choice though, I would pick wood, but if it is in poor condition i would continue on with new carpet every few years.
Investor · -, IL · Member since 2010 · 409 posts · 616 votes
14y
Rent a sander for $150 and go to town on it. The floors in my last rental I bought were all paint splattered in one of the rooms, and various dark and light spots everywhere else. After sanding I threw on some clear poly. People loved it, they said the floors had so much character.
Lender · Tyngsboro, MA · Member since 2009 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
14y
I'm with Ryan B.. You'll get a lot longer from the hardword and can refinish again if needed. If it ever does need refinishing, sometimes you just need a refresh, which is a light sanding and another coat of poly. You don't need to get it perfect. And you can rework that repair, if you have a carpenter who has any skills at all.
People love the hardwood, and while you may not get more rent, I would bet it would rent faster. Opens up the rental to people who have allergies and can't deal with carpet too.
I've painted over wood floors and was sorry later, and then ended up stripping and refinishing. When you ding hardwood, you get a ding. When you ding painted wood, you get a chip in the paint which is glaringly obvious.
Real Estate Investor · the villages, FL · Member since 2008 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
14y
George – what are your intentions with the property? Is this a buy-and-hold property? Where is it located? Why is tile out of the question? On my properties in South Texas, I can do tile floors for almost the same price as good carpet. I also agree with what Ryan B said about the wood floors. Rich
Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
14y
thanks for the replies..
Rich, it's in Detroit burbs. all my rentals are here (around 2 miles from my house). it's a buy and hold long term... (20 yrs?) it's out of the questions becaise it's not a cement foundation like texas. we have basements in each house. also, people are not used to tiles except bath and kitchen.
i am handy and was considering doing it myself, but never done it. looks easy on TV (but what doesn't??).
i agree carpet is quicker and easier, the sanding would take me 3-4 days. and that's if i know what i am doing.
also, there is a area where they had a half wall. they took it down, but patched it with similar size planks, wrong wood. and worse, they screwed those pieces with drywall screws. and if this was not bad enough....they slapped some drywall mud on top of that. do not ask me what they were thinking and why. i want to slap some people around for being so stupid.
will take some pics later on and post them. thanks for the feedback everyone.
Multi-family Investor · Morton Grove, IL · Member since 2011 · 59 posts · 8 votes
14y
I refinished a 1300 sq ft apt. I found a reputable contractor who sublet the job and took an 85 year old floor with gum etc and made it into a beautiful natural wood floor with sanding etc and coats of poly. When I rented it out the tenants loved the beautiful wood floors and put their own area rugs down in all rooms. Doing his is also more hygenic and less costly in the long run. Carpets get stained and have to be pulled up every so often.
Investor · Omaha, NE · Member since 2011 · 475 posts · 211 votes
14y
I agree with the wood floor votes. I've recently toured a rehabbed school turned into apartments. Part built in 1899 (not a typo) and part in 1929. All the floors are the original wood and look great. I also agree on a no pets policy on wood floor. Good luck!
Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
14y
i'd love that, but refinishing costs at least $2/sq ft. and i am already over, way way over what i thought i'd spend on this house. so it might just be carpet.
here is what i am dealing with.
click on this and go RIGHT to see the hardwood pics.
Investor · Peachtree Corners, GA · Member since 2012 · 131 posts · 83 votes
14y
I've sanded floors down and stained them myself. Never again. I'd throw carpet over it and be done. I've gotten 7-10 yrs out of some cheap carpet before. Lets say you re-finish the floors now. When ever you sell it your probably going to have to it again. Way too much money. Put carpet down now and then lay new hardwood over the old when you want to sell the place.
Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
14y
Originally posted by Watson Smith:
I've sanded floors down and stained them myself. Never again. I'd throw carpet over it and be done. I've gotten 7-10 yrs out of some cheap carpet before. Lets say you re-finish the floors now. When ever you sell it your probably going to have to it again. Way too much money. Put carpet down now and then lay new hardwood over the old when you want to sell the place.
watson, that's what my wife was thinking too. she said, "we will have to do it when we sell anyway. just put the carpet and be done in half a day instead of messing around with it for 1 week."
btw, was it difficult to do? i'd imagine the sraight runs/open areas to be fairly easy, but the hard part is getting the edges and corners (especially around the door trim areas)
Residential Real Estate Agent · Mt. Pleasant, SC · Member since 2010 · 257 posts · 130 votes
14y
I generally find that we can refinish hardwoods for less than laying carpet. We pay $1.25/sf for sand and 3 coats of poly. Post an ad on craigslist instead of calling flooring companies. You need to find a guy who will do some side work for the same price that his flooring company pays him.
You would be surprised how good those floors could look. Once you sand off a 16th of an inch, there is brand new wood underneath. With even a halfway decent job, they will look awesome, and as long as you go natural any remaining stains won't really show. Also, I think worn hardwoods look better than dirty carpets any day.
Investor · Fort Worth, TX · Member since 2011 · 1k+ posts · 450 votes
14y
I'd refinish. But I would do much of the work myself. You can do an OK job and it will still look great to most people. Plus, when its time to refinish, all you need to do is wipe down with some paint thinner and apply another coat of clear. That will be much cheaper to do in the future than replacing the carpet, plus your property will be a lot cooler.
Investor · Central Valley, CA · Member since 2012 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
14y
George: I looked at your pictures. Those floors will refinish just fine. Any good floor guy will have a planks, used and new, left over from other jobs to do your repairs and fix the rough spots. The compound fix around the entry way was most likely done by carpet installers to level and fill the gaps in the boards near the door. It's no big deal for them to repair the entry area and other places where you have mismatched boards.
Find a sub guy with access to a sander that can get it repaired, sanded and 3 coats for under $1.50/sq ft. The floors won't look perfect but they'll be awesome compared to six months from now with whatever carpet you put in there. I live in a house with the original 1920's oak floors. They have visible termite damage, lots of noticeable new board repairs, they have gaps, tack strip holes and permanent dark staining from when there used to be carpet and pets. I had them sanded and poly'd one last time eight years ago as there's just no thickness left. Everyone loves them.
Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
14y
i called my carpet guy (company i used 4 times) and he has retired. so now i am back to square one, trying to find a carpet guy who can do great job installing great carpet at a good price or finishing that floor.
posting an ad on CL is a great idea. i did not think of that. I still can't believe that you get prices that are cheaper than $2.
Investor · Central Valley, CA · Member since 2012 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
14y
At less than $1.50 sq/ft I don't think anyone here is talking about a licensed bonded floor guy with warranties. I really meant a guy with a sander with some experience. I've paid way more for jobs where I had to use licensed people or where I needed special stains, etc.
North Wilkesboro, NC · Member since 2012 · 44 posts · 3 votes
14y
I just hardwood installed in my house and it was $1.50ft to sand and finish ~1,300sqft. The great thing about wood. If its 3/4" hardwood and the guy sanding knows what he is doing you can get 3-5 sand and refinishes out of it. And a few years down the road if the floor is looking a little worn you can usually just buff it and bring it back to life for pretty cheap.
Investor and Architect · Ramsey, NJ · Member since 2010 · 305 posts · 84 votes
14y
People love hardwood floors today. Very clean and they look great. I don't think people mind the "seasoned" look either. Some even seek it.
Wood can be noisy though. Carpet is much quieter. I'd be cautious about wood floors in a multi-family if there is no insulation at ceiling/floor to other tenant.
Property Manager · Livonia, MI · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
14y
larry. good point. this house has a basement, but it's single family. and yes, the old hardwood is noisy.
i am surprised that so many of you stated that the "seasoned/beaten up" look is acceptable. i thought it would need to look like it was just laid to be ok.
Investor · Howell, MI · Member since 2011 · 202 posts · 52 votes
14y
George P. I'd go the sanding route, you're floors are in really good shape compared to others I've done recently and those turned out great. That, plus around here I get a much better renter response to hardwood floors over carpet.
If you need a carpet guy PM me and I'll give you the contact of our guys located in Novi, cheapest prices I've found.