Investor · Cary, NC · Member since 2016 · 31 posts · 11 votes
The 1st floor toilet on my rental flooded the other night. Most of the first floor currently has laminate. My tenants mopped up the water as soon as they realized but some time had gone by before they had even realized since it happened middle of the night. Anyways, the laminate is dried now but there are areas where it has bubbled up. First question is, is it worth trying to fix those areas versus just replacing the whole thing?
If you'd replace the whole thing, what type of flooring would you choose and why? The house is on a slab if that would affect your decision. Considering laminate, luxury vinyl and tile. I'd obviously want something durable, good value cost-wise but also appealing to renters.
If on a concrete slab I would seriously consider a metallic epoxy finish. My basement has 1500 sq ft of seamless epoxy they looks like a white marble with gray veining.
https://m.imgur.com/gallery/BwLEN
Pm me with questions. It was about $4.50 sq ft, including prep work to slab.
Using laminate (medium or high density) in kitchens, washrooms and laundry areas is always a risky undertaking.
If the liquid is mopped-up promptly and you apply a dehumidifier and/or heat and ventilation you may be able to dry the laminate sufficiently that is does not cup or buckle. However, in our experience, while you may mitigate the cupping/buckling, you will not prevent it ... though you may prevent mould growth.
My preferred floorings in bathrooms are (in order): {porcelain} tile (particularly with in-floor heat), linoleum (not to be confused with vinyl for which the term linoleum is frequently misused); or {loose-laid} vinyl sheet or vinyl plank. Any of these are fine to be laid over a slab.
IMHO: Carpet, laminate and hardwood should not be used in a bathroom. Carpet should not be used anywhere, but that's another story.
If on a concrete slab I would seriously consider a metallic epoxy finish. My basement has 1500 sq ft of seamless epoxy they looks like a white marble with gray veining.
https://m.imgur.com/gallery/BwLEN
Pm me with questions. It was about $4.50 sq ft, including prep work to slab.
If you just wanted to do the bathrooms, I'd go with tile on a concrete slab. If you're wanting to replace the whole house, I'd do vinyl plank - it has the look of laminate but won't get wrecked by water and spills. Plus it's easy to install. I've put it in a couple of my rentals and everyone loves it. Several people thought it was laminate.
This is the Stainmaster Washed Oak/Dove Gray from Lowe's (don't know why it uploads sideways!)...
Just wanted to add additional information that the original cause was in a downstairs powder room but the water flowed out of the bathroom into the hallway and into the master bedroom as well. The laminate is throughout almost the entire first floor.
Regarding metallic epoxy I forgot to mention it’s...
- impervious to water, oils, paints, etc. You could flood the whole house and later just squeegee out.
- doesn’t scratch or damage easily... or even with a lot of effort. I’ve dropped tools, my kids ride scooters across it, my dog skids to a stop chasing toys on it. If you did get a scratch through the urethane topcoat it would make no difference to the performance of the floor nor promote more damage to floor.
- doesn’t require a level floor so no bouncy boards or squeaky flooring joints.
- so easy to clean as there are no seams for gunk or smells to work into. You can use any toxic combination of cleaning chemicals and it won’t damage the floor.
I don’t sell or rep any epoxy firms and you could do it yourself. Check YouTube as some of the DIY providers do their own step-by-step videos. I was worried about the finish looking sub-par so I bid it out... my other option was DIY wood plank tile.
You can’t install it on plywood or any substrate that is prone to movement so it’s uses in residential flooring is limited to basements, garages and slabs on grade.
Wow! I've never heard of this epoxy flooring. Your pics look amazing! And shiny! Does it feel smooth like marble? Or does it feel rougher? Having a hard time imagining what it feels like.
Regarding metallic epoxy I forgot to mention it’s...
- impervious to water, oils, paints, etc. You could flood the whole house and later just squeegee out.
- doesn’t scratch or damage easily... or even with a lot of effort. I’ve dropped tools, my kids ride scooters across it, my dog skids to a stop chasing toys on it. If you did get a scratch through the urethane topcoat it would make no difference to the performance of the floor nor promote more damage to floor.
- doesn’t require a level floor so no bouncy boards or squeaky flooring joints.
- so easy to clean as there are no seams for gunk or smells to work into. You can use any toxic combination of cleaning chemicals and it won’t damage the floor.
I don’t sell or rep any epoxy firms and you could do it yourself. Check YouTube as some of the DIY providers do their own step-by-step videos. I was worried about the finish looking sub-par so I bid it out... my other option was DIY wood plank tile.
You can’t install it on plywood or any substrate that is prone to movement so it’s uses in residential flooring is limited to basements, garages and slabs on grade.
We love it and anyone that visits is blown away by the look. Just last week the Verizon guy spent twenty minutes quizzing me on it. The installer of the floor kept following up for finished pictures with baseboard, furniture, etc so he could add to his portfolio.
It’s perfectly smooth. The epoxy self-levels and the urethane topcoat (if you even go that far, makes it more indestructible) is rolled on flat. You can add granules to it to make it non-slip but that’s designed for shop floors & auto repair shops. From a feel perspective it’s like stone but doesn’t have the same cool-touch that you get from bare concrete.
Because it’s applied in layers and flows while leveling it has ‘depth’ to it like a real stone. It doesn’t look like some stencil art project. I really wish you could capture the look on camera but it doesn’t come through very well.