Best Rental Unit Flooring Options

[PawPrint53]

i own a rental unit that had worn carpet in most rooms when I purchased it. The last cleaning didn't do much to clean the stains. The tenants are moving at the end of August so I thought I'd explore my options. We put really nice laminate in our other rental unit, but that's because we're moving into that unit. Would you recommend replacing the carpet with more carpet, or would a midrange or cheap stand up to wear better? I do allow dogs in the unit. Any recommendations? Thank you.

[DangleStash]

If you allow dogs, you should really consider avoiding carpet if at all possible, or get one that cleans very easily.  There are some laminates that look great, it really depends on how much you want to invest in the unit/if you think it will increase its value too.

[Blindsquirrel]

 I have gone to laminates in my houses. Tougher than carpet and easy/cheap to do. If I add up how much I spent on carpet before I went this route I would be irked. Lumber liquidators/home source/Lowes/Menards can have stuff for sale very cheap at times.  If I see a dirt cheap deal on good fake Pergo I will buy 4000 sf of it as it will get used eventually.

[Another Reader]

Laminate is suitable for bedrooms and living areas in most modest to mid price rental houses.  Tile or vinyl in the baths and kitchens, however.  I would not spend extra to install wood.  It's easily damaged, especially the engineered junk.

[SunshineGirl]

I don't know in terms of cost, but porcelain wood tile is SO NICE these days that it would last forever and always look classic.

[Nate R]

I'm a big fan of the click together vinyl planks. No water/swelling issues like laminate can have. Holds up well, goes down OK.

[stickynotes]

I really like tile. There are some great options that are inexpensive, easy to install (look at the 6'x12' or 12'x24) and look just like wood. It lasts much longer than carpet and it's much, much easier to clean. I would also never put carpet on a ground / basement level. That's just asking for trouble.

[Another Reader]

Tile has limitations.  Tenants seem to chip or crack the tile and even if sealed the grout gets very dirty.  You may treat your house like a museum, but your tenants won't.

[MandyM]

I'm a big fan of the click together vinyl planks. No water/swelling issues like laminate can have. Holds up well, goes down OK.

+1 for vinyl planks!! I installed in my last primary residence and LOVED them (although I had glue down, not click). I opted for a light colored faux wood and it could easily pass for a nice laminate.

I have dogs and cats and was concerned about scratching and messes (spills, accidents, etc). I heard stories of laminates that end up warping if there is liquid that sits too long (i.e. a dog has an accident in the morning and it sits there until after work...).

Also - one benefit over porcelin or ceramic tile is that replacing a damaged plank is much easier than replacing a damaged tile. (they don't damage easily either). And there isn't grout that needs to be sealed.

As a side note, my current home has wood flooring throughout, except for a cheap laminate in the kitchen. Although I love the look of the wood, it is pretty scratched up after 2 years of my damn animals. I miss the vinyl...

[Bobberth]

I use vinyl plank flooring.  I'm too afraid of what tenants will do with water/liquids to put down laminate and I put new "rental grade" carpet in once and was impressed at how bad it was in just over a year.

[Another Reader]

For the vinyl plank fans, what brands are you using, where are you buying them, and how much per square foot?  Is it true they do not require underlayment?

[Bobberth]

For the vinyl plank fans, what brands are you using, where are you buying them, and how much per square foot?  Is it true they do not require underlayment?

We are just now getting some Menard's in our area and that is where I have been getting mine.  Shaw Citadel Jaya Teak is what I use
http://www.menards.com/main/flooring/vinyl-flooring/vinyl-planks/shaw-citadel-floating-vinyl-plank-5-91-x-36-84/p-2201412.htm

$1.99 sqft is the regular price and it goes on sale for $1.69 several times a year and as low as $1.19 twice last year.  They also have their 11% rebate sales which means you can almost always get it for less than $1.99 with enough lead time.  Allure, which is very popular in different online forums, is $2.29 sqft at HD and Lowe's.  I have never put an underlayment down.  The longest I've had this down for is almost 2 years (most of my houses were built when there was hardwood subfloors so I refinish those most of the time and only use this when I can't) so I'm not sure no underlayment is a good thing or not.  So far so good though.  I had some glue down vinyl plank installed 5 years ago that is holding up quite well with pets and kids and even when an "artist" got paint everywhere, they cleaned up well.

[zoltani]

+1 Vinyl Planks

We did a remodel of one of our rentals last year and put down the vinyl plank flooring. I was surprised how nice it looked. It's been down for almost a year, but I have not been able to see it to see how it holds up.

If you go this route pay attention to what thickness of wear layer you get. Also try to go for one you know will come with tiles of many different patterns so it doesn't look too cheap.

[MandyM]

For the vinyl plank fans, what brands are you using, where are you buying them, and how much per square foot?  Is it true they do not require underlayment?

I used Mannington Adura and did have a Luan underlayment. My subfloor was not in great condition. The planks are thicker than sheet vinyl, but still pretty thin, so your subfloor needs to be pretty smooth. Otherwise imperfections will show through. I had just over 1000 sf installed by a contractor. Material costs were $5292, Labor was $2442.

Again, this was for my primary residence. I used the higher end version of the planks that have texturing and beveled edges. The only thing that I didn't love about them was the chemical smell that lingered forever. But I had them for about 2 years before moving (closer to my work) and I was VERY hard on them. I had three dogs - one very senior and one that refused to be fully house trained. I never noticed any damage.

[zoltani]

I ordered my vinyl planks from http://www.builddirect.com/

[Dividend Youngster]

I only ever use real hardwood and tile, laid correctly the tile should never break and a good hardwood will last close to 20 years before it needs to be refinished. Also both are easy to clean. There are companies out there that buy other companies remaining inventory making it easy to find killer deals on these products.

[clarkfan1979]

I really like engineered wood. It is real wood and the most durable. It is pre-finished so you can't re-sand and re-stain. Do not try to lay with glue, rent a nail gun.