What brand of laminate flooring do you use for rentals?

Question

Hello bigger pockets.

I have hardwood flooring in my house that is pretty worn down and cracked / warped in some parts, I was thinking about refinishing it if it’s even possible, but maybe it makes more sense to do that when I sell the property one day. The goal for this property is for it to be a long term rental, therefore I need a cheap flooring solution. I’m leaning towards buying laminate flooring and laying it over top of the hardwood floor, I think this would be more appealing then having carpet in the living / dining room. I wanted to know what is the best / cheapest laminate flooring solutions rehabbers like to use to solve this type of problems for rentals, or if carpet may be a better way to go?

I am not flipping the house, I want something cheap and easy to replace for renters.

Thanks for your time.

John Warren · Answer

@Cameron Tope brought up sevveral good points about hard wood floors in rentals. I did a gut rehab project on a 1930's apartment building in Berwyn, IL, and we were able to salvage most of the hard wood floors. Tenants are ok with some pet staining, water marks, etc. We use only polyurethane finish and we don't stain the floors. This makes it easier to turn the unit in the future without refinishing the floors! Simply clean them really well, buff a few worn spots with sand paper and apply a new layer of poly. When you buy in older areas, vintage is normal for the area and totally acceptable.

The only times we couldn't save the hard woods was when there was a thin layer of plywood that had been nailed and glued over the top. That just took too much time to save at the end of the day.

Teri Feeney Styers · Answer

@Mathew Fuller The previous answers are spot on. Skip the laminate route. People love hardwoods and if they are clean and smooth they are very forgiving about any "character flaws" such as old water stains or cigarette burns. I have been using LVT in my flips. Looks like wood - but it is vinyl and very tough and durable (if you buy decent stuff). Cheap up front isn't necessarily what you want - you'll pay $2-$3 per square foot for a decent product (and another $3 or so for an installer); but it will last a long time and that's what you are after.

Cameron Tope · Answer

I agree with @John Warren - refinish the hardwoods. If they're too far gone then we use LVT in the properties now. It's durable and a fair price.

What is the flooring in the other rentals in the area?

John Warren · Answer

@Mathew Fuller unless you are installing the flooring yourself, there is no cheaper flooring surface to refinish than hard wood floors generally speaking. Here in the Chicago western suburbs, I typically pay anywhere from $1.30-1.75 per square foot for my hard wood floor guys to refinish floors. Just the materials on new flooring ends up being close to that, and most flooring guys will charge $2 per square foot or so to install new vinyl plank or laminate floors.

Daniel Hartness · Answer

Hey Mathew. I think laminate is a good cheaper option, but I would recommend LVP too. One thing about it is it's very cheap and there are many options. It's a trend that continues to grow and grow, so I think renters would definitely like it. On top of being very scratch resistant tough, and cheap, it also just looks really nice. Folks like the hardwood look and it's great LVP exists as a strong alternative to it without paying a premium for it. Nevertheless, I think either can make a great option for you with your renters because their both cheaper, but also of good quality. I've found a good blog writing about COREtec's LVP options but also has a ton of digestible information about LVP in general if you'd like to learn more about it as you make your decision. Hope this all helped!:https://www.reallycheapfloors.com/blog/coretec-flooring-by-us-floors/#5.3

Denis R. · Answer

I recently bought the LVP Burnished Oak , from Lowes, as a matter of fact.  It turned out great and my instinct tells me it will prove to durable for the long term. We have a no hard surface clause in our condo rules and regs but laminate is acceptable.

Joseph Konney · Answer

@Mathew Fuller - I recently had a situation where refinishing was not an option for my long term rental and went with LVP.

Specifically, the kind where it clicks together. It is error proof with spacing as it clicks together as opposed to being glued together and/or glued down. This also helps with durability as if there are any spacing issues, it will be more likely to chip/peel as your tenants wear and move over the floor. Another thing to look at is the wear layer. You might find one LVP that is $1.60 instead of $1.99 per square foot, but the wear layer is HALF. Especially when you factor in the labor to install, for a marginal amount more, you get a much more durable product with a deeper wear layer.

My final choice was STAINMASTER in Burnished Oak - Fawn Luxury Locking Vinyl Plank Flooring (12 Mils wear layer). It came to $1.99/sqft at Lowes and then I used a 10% off coupon from eBay.

While everyone is cheering to refinish, I'm also interested in what others specifically went with for LVP brand/wear-layer/price in their long term rentals where refinishing was NOT an option or viable.

What brand of laminate flooring do you use for rentals?

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