Carpets are the obvious answer, but I have had some people tell me that a cheap laminate will last much longer therefor providing better long term value.
5 Likes
Hi Dan, a rental propertie is often abused by the tenate. Laminate floors look great and with care the will last. However, how many tenates will take the time to care for the floor. On the other hand, if you have good tenates or even elderly ones then laminate would be the way to go. I would also consider vinyl. A good vinyl floor (good tiles) will also do the job with less care and less expense.
Allure flooring by Traffic Master is a great floor for rentals its simple to install easy to maintain 100% water proof if someone has a accident just wipe it up bed bugs cant live under it and if a tile ever was damaged you just blow dry the seams and replace the tile vrs the whole floor
I have personally used carpet in living areas & bedrooms; good life and easy to change out.
I have tiled Kitchen and Bath areas and it is almost “bullet proof”; may cost more at the start, but worth it in the end.
I recommend you include flooring that is similar to other rental home against which you will be competing. Once you know what floors are most common in other rental homes, vinyl, laminate, carpet and tile (lowest to highest cost) can all be good choices.
I have never had a problem with tile flooring being abused, and vinyl and laminate floors hold up well and are generally easy to clean and repair. Carpet can be a bit of a problem, but can usually be cleaned and repaired by a professional and at reasonable cost.
Clean carpet is your best option for comfort, looks and renter retention. If your rental is in a nicer market carpet and a inexpensive tile is best. These items can be cleaned and or replaced with the proper rental deposits. Generic hard surfaces are very hard to match update and or replace. Minimal grout lines are also recommended to reduce grout discolor or staining. In my opinion when my clients homes come time to sell, these properties are a quick turnover when keeping living surfaces consistent to an average purchase price market standard.
It depends on who you’re marketing your unit to. If it’s an upscale condo, hardwood and good-quality tile is probably best. If it’s a budget property, I’d use mid-grade carpet that will hide stains and vinyl for floors. Don’t use laminates- water ruins it easily and if it gets damaged you have to completely remove the floor to replace one piece.
My advice is to go with as much light colored tile as posssible and carpet the bedrooms. The light color tiles will make the areas look bigger and are easy to clean. Cleaning the tiles between tenants also freshens odors that are hard to remove from carpets. Carpet bedrooms in a darker color and find a quality carpet cleaner. You definately get what you pay for when it comes to carpet cleaners. Shop around and you can find “close out” deals to minimize expense. Hope this helps.
Any time someone reccommends the cheapest, expect the quality to be equal what you are paying for. Set a budget and seek a flooring product that will fit the budget. Ask youself how often you would like to spend that amount for the flooring, if you find that you are spending too much to keep the flooring maintenanced, maybe consider a long lasting hardwood or tile. If cost is a factor for you and your unit is not being rented for a while, wait for sales or closeouts on high quality flooring that you can pick up for cheap.
Hope this helps!
Nylon carpet (resilient and easy to clean) in main living areas. Sheet vinyl or ceramic tile in kithchen and baths (low maintenance).
depends of the rental price and tenant you going to have,but a medium high quality carpet and linoleoum its the most common as well the laminate.so you can easily change every time the tenant moves out.and sometimes it paids itself withing the first 2 months of rent
In Los Angeles the highest return for landlords is hardwood floors and ceramic tiles in kitchens and baths. A majority of the rentals in L.A. are 50-90 year old buildings, and have their original floors which have been well taken care of , and maybe snaded down once or twice and refinished in that time.They can command higher rents. It mostly depends on the zip code of the quality you can expect.
Carpets are rare these days,as they are considered a Petri dish, and a catch all for bacteria,dust mites,allergens,animal and various stains. The only draw back is hardwood isn’t recommended on upper floors of the older buildings with sparse insulation.
In those cases,a lot of landlords opt for laminate flooring as it’s acoustically friendly. And of course it’s scuff resistant.
A good economical ceramic tile can take the abuse pretty well,with reasonably low maintenance. And again, alot of these buildings still have the original tIle,maintain the original integrity.
So as far as rentals here, hardwood and ceramic have a good rep for standing the test of time.
For the most part when it comes to rental properties landlords tend to put laminate to save costs, laminate works for renters as it is cheaper, although in my opinion if you put a engineered wood floors it will last longer and you can have the options to stain it in the future as apposed to having to replace it with other flooring.
In the and bath we mostly see vinyl but again it mainly depends on the comps in the neighborhood and what the market is demanding.
Something that will resist kids, pets and wear.
Hardwood floors can easily be refinished.
Tile is an excellent choice for kitchens and bathrooms, as is vinyl flooring.
Personally I dislike carpeting, as it traps spills & pet urine. Filthy tennats can quickly cause dryrot and sub floor damages.
In my opinion for rental house Tiles, Cementing are expensive. I will go for Laminating. I think it is less expensive. I will ask my owner then go for it. It is good because cleaning is easy, maintenance is easy so it is good and cheaper. It is wise step to save money.
A mid-grade Luxury Vinyl Plank or Tile is a good, inexpensive alternative to carpet or sheet vinyl. The vinyl plank or tile can be easily repaired and is extremely durable. A quality, yet inexpensive, vinyl plank or tile could outlast several tenants and still look good.
It depends on the value of properties. I would like to suggest you choose wood laminate floor like Pergo. It is not so expensive but attractive model and easy to maintain than carpet.
A good quality laminate floor is durable and easy to maintain. Area rugs can be added by the renter in areas where they want some carpet.
Carpet would be the easiest to repair and replace throughout a rental however you will find yourself replacing it on average per two renters. I have found that if you put tile in hallways and other heavy traffic areas along with kitchens and bathrooms and carpet the bedrooms and sitting rooms you will end up saving alot more in the long run. It might cost alot upfront but you will love yourself for it everytime you have to replace the carpet
For most of the living areas, I would recommend a good quality laminate. It is very hard to damage, hold up well to wear, easy to clean, and resists staining. Where as carpet fails in all these catagories.