All Forum Posts by: Dumitru Anton

 @Jason Hirko, can you relay any good experiences with using butcher block? my worry comes not from knife cutting marks or pot burns marks (repairable with sanding/planing and re-sealing), but from water splashing marks (it's almost to the point of "i wonder if they bath an elephant...") and water intrusion/damage marks

also OP is in NJ, whcih means in winter low humidity, which means cracks in wood surface.

 @Jared Smith,

depends of the rental class.

now in B-C you want sometimes just a little better then your competition...(kitchen and bathrooms "sells" the house)

now how "tough"/"enforced" are the cabinets?

do granite if you can find one of the independents with the tools/connections.... half bulnose/flat in a pattern and really common color.

ikea has really cheap formica (almost to the point of per/renter  expandable) but you need a quick and good handyman.

formica also makes solid surface (not just foil)... not sure how it handles a hot pot and knife cutting....

you can also do really large porcelain/granite tiles (18-20"+ inches) with very thin grout lines...

concrete can go with a very good sealer, and somebody who knows what to do.

but in the end, you want something you can replicate again and again with not a lot of headaches down the road...

continuous success

 use a quality primer (like Zinser bulls-Eye, 123) then your choice of paint.

source: deep brown, deep brick red, some bright orange, blue and indigo, house with dogs... (yep all in the same house)

@Samantha Klein,

if this would have been in the winter, i would recommend you HOT Salty water. (salt water melts iced goo quicker).

i would replace/reset the wax ring (they also make waxless now: rubber cone or foam type). 

i like to use 2: one is the oversize one, and a regular one to "butter" around any gaps to the connecting tile floor.

i would use some lye (about twice per year) (please no drano) or baking soda and vinegar left to bubble followed by large amounts of water.

extreme DYI: use a dry/wet vacuum on the push (NOT pull) setting

 @Rosston Smith,

courtesy of @Marcia Maynard:

"TrafficMaster Allure Ultra Vinyl Plank Flooring is our current product of choice. We prefer the interlocking ultra instead of the overlapping self-stick type of Allure. Pick the imitation wood pattern and tenants will think they have hardwood floors. This holds up much better than real wood floors.

In our area, hardwood floors and carpeting are preferred by most tenants. Tile for kitchen and bath is widely desired too. With the new types of grout, tile care is easy. If you go with rolled vinyl, it should be a good grade or it will tear easily. Linoleum is not as commonly used. Our tenants who want carpet will buy a carpet and lay it on top of the hardwood floors or imitation wood vinyl plank flooring.

If the unit has real wood floors, refinish them and make them as durable as you can. If the unit has wall to wall carpet and that is what your market likes (think colder climates) then replace carpet, but make sure you have a good pad so it will wear longer. If you want to make a change, consider using TrafficMaster Allure Ultra Vinyl Plank for the high traffic areas or throughout the unit. Or keep carpet in the bedrooms only. Take into consideration the floor plan of your unit and the preference of the tenants in your market."

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BP Search linky

 @Rosston Smith,

i don't know your area or properties class but:

-tile (tougher the better) (i think at some point we had a poster who was buying it by the pallet on sale, sort/cut by size, and do a pattern incorporating all of them(color/size)...)

-polished concrete (they even get this in luxury developments now...)

-3-part epoxy (not at home depot lowes);  i think somebody from CO posted about it... (pretty tough stuff)- we are talking about commercial grade ...

-laminate (preferable AC4 or AC5, maybe also waterproof/waterresistent, at least 10-12 mm with pad included= your downstairs neighbors will love you)

-engineered

-LVP (Luxury vinyl plank); allure from HomeDepot (lowes/menards/floor and decor equivalents) has a good reputation here, but others ventured in the realms of commercial and it depends on the relations with local rep to get the "good stuff".

-linoleum = naturally anti-bacterial(no it is not a sheet of vinyl): @Roy N. can you help me with that?

-carpet tiles/commercial carpet (maybe hospitals know something...)

-outdoor grade carpet (if you have a flood, you just take it out, clean, hose it off, dry, set back)

-bamboo (you want tough; you want to control humidity, you want low/no levels of formaldehyde etc etc, you want good installers and product on the market for at least 3 years)

-bricks/pavers

-plywood (4x4' or 2'x2' or planks) @Michaela G. / @MichaelaATL

-tongue-and-groove OSB refinished as squares/planks ("looks like cork") @Cristian Morentcy

-luck: you lift the shaggy-get-a-mower carpet and there's old growth wood under it :-P

P.S. sorry, my google fu is low today so not links

@Kimberly H.,

I'm calling @Mark Ainley, he has worked with both CHA (Chicago HA) and CCHA (Cook County HA).

off topic, but make also sure your future tenants lived at a single home before. you don't want to  comeback to a very overgrown lawn or a very dead one because they didn't know they are supposed to take care of it...

 @Michael Gansberg, 

Classic, turning lemons into lemonade...

@Todd Whidon is local. he has a cabinet making company in your area. (and know the trends)

also there are the 2 books, section 8 bible.

remember, the authors had 300 properties in very low income areas.

may not apply today and/or in your area.

again, today, they may have choices