Rental Property Investor 路 Anchorage AK... Grants Pass OR...... Scottsdale, AZ 路 Member since 2018 路 37 posts 路 18 votes
Does anyone recommend a good carpet for a rental house that I am renovating? I am doing wood laminate downstairs but I need to carpet upstairs bedrooms.
Rental Property Investor 路 Bath, ME 路 Member since 2014 路 220 posts 路 288 votes
7y
@Jennifer Darby - I've found that the best carpet for a rental is luxury vinyl plank flooring. :) It costs 2X to 3X more, but could last 5X to 10X longer.
Our rentals are in a similarly cold climate in Maine, and our residents don't mind that bedrooms are not carpeted. There is LVP on the market with an insulated backer that keeps the floor warm and provides a little cushion to the step.
If you do go with carpet, I would just try to find something cheap that looks good and that either you can install yourself or you can have installed very cheaply. Expensive carpet would not be a good buy.
Real Estate Agent 路 Biddeford, ME 路 Member since 2017 路 213 posts 路 150 votes
7y
@Jennifer Darby I agree with @Mike Roy and @John Underwood and @Alex S. on this. We have built 500 apartments around Portland, ME and we did a waterproof, rugged laminate flooring in all rooms except the bedrooms where we put carpet (thinking residents would like this). This has proven problematic as we are replacing or patching carpet more often than we expected and the color and style keeps getting harder to find. We are about to have to start recarpeting if there are any issues since we are on the verge of exhausting the carpet we kept in reserve. The carpet is nice for sound dampening, but we are finding it does not hold up as well as expected. In the future, we will try to avoid carpet.
Rental Property Investor 路 Anchorage AK... Grants Pass OR...... Scottsdale, AZ 路 Member since 2018 路 37 posts 路 18 votes
7y
I have read up on LVP such as Lifeproof and seems to me that it scratches very easily??? Any input on that? I would like to do all laminate but the house I鈥檓 redoing was built in 1920 and floors aren鈥檛 super even. 馃槵
Rental Property Investor 路 Oldsmar, FL 路 Member since 2014 路 238 posts 路 61 votes
7y
Just like everyone else says. Avoid carpet flooring if possible. Another idea you can do and it is popular for large apartment communities do in Florida. If the carpet is stained when a resident moves out. They bill the past resident for carpet replacement and if they do not pay. They sell the bill to a collection agent. They do not go to court to get a ruling, they just send them to collections. I am sure they only get half the amount they claim but they do get some back. ( Which me coming from Kentucky I found very odd that they can send someone to collections without a ruling in court).
Investor 路 Philadelphia, PA 路 Member since 2016 路 2k+ posts 路 1k+ votes
7y
I get the 2nd cheapest carpet available. Not the cheapest commercial one, but something that at least looks and feels nice. I also try to get one with a pattern to lessen the visibility of stains.
Rental Property Investor 路 Anchorage AK... Grants Pass OR...... Scottsdale, AZ 路 Member since 2018 路 37 posts 路 18 votes
7y
LVP is said to scratch easily I鈥檝e been told? With the size of this house i don鈥檛 want to invest in something and then have it look scratched and worn within a short period of time.
LVP is said to scratch easily I鈥檝e been told? With the size of this house i don鈥檛 want to invest in something and then have it look scratched and worn within a short period of time.
@jennifer Darby - Go with at least a 20 mil wear layer, something with at least a 10 year commercial warranty. This product is intended for high traffic retail, doctors offices, etc. About $3-$4/sq. ft. for material. I believe the big boxes will install at $2/sq.ft. or so on labor.
Real Estate Investor 路 Williamson County, TX 路 Member since 2011 路 1k+ posts 路 961 votes
7y
@Jennifer Darby I give new tenants adhesive felt pads for furniture legs...home depot or dollar tree. Get a distressed multitoned wood to disguise scratches. People and pets dont scratch or at least scratches are imperceptible, dragging heavy furniture with a brad or a piece of gravel under one foot scratches.
Real Estate Agent 路 Southington, CT 路 Member since 2008 路 5k+ posts 路 3k+ votes
7y
@Jennifer Darby It is rare that we put carpet in our projects these days, but when we do in bedrooms we put in "Lucky Ticket" from home depot. Neutral color, typically $.99 a sq ft and never had any pushback.
Rental Property Investor 路 Boise/Portland 路 Member since 2017 路 709 posts 路 742 votes
7y
The best carpet for any rental is laminate flooring. I've pulled the carpet out of all my rentals and laid laminate. Looks great and I was able to raise the rent.
Eastern Michigan 路 Member since 2018 路 83 posts 路 144 votes
7y
@Jennifer Darby I would not use Lifeproof. Put that in my last house and it was awful with scratches. That being said there is a lot of vinyl plank that I have used and really like. I like the kinds that are a little more flexible/bendable. They are super easy to put in (when you need to make a cut you just use a utility knife), look great, and are very, very durable.
If you did go with carpet I know people who are big fans of carpet tile. There are kinds that don't look like corporate office carpet and then when a patch gets stained you just pull it up and replace just that patch.
Rental Property Investor 路 Cleveland, MN 路 Member since 2017 路 518 posts 路 354 votes
7y
I use a lot of vinyl plank in my building. I find that the scratches cover nicely with a marker. Avoid Berber carpet if you allow pets. One snag and they can take out an entire room. Amazing how many people think it's cute that their cat is playing with that piece of carpet string!
Rental Property Investor 路 Memphis area 路 Member since 2018 路 105 posts 路 51 votes
7y
carpet is no good. I tried it at first but it would have to be replaced after 1 tenant turnover....I then went with tile and laminate...laminate is better than carpet but it still can soak up spills and expand on you...like others said LVP or tile I think is the way to go...it's a bit more investment up front but well worth it in the long run.
Investor 路 Milwaukee, WI 路 Member since 2013 路 1k+ posts 路 1k+ votes
7y
Originally posted by @Account Closed:
@Jennifer Darby I would not use Lifeproof. Put that in my last house and it was awful with scratches. That being said there is a lot of vinyl plank that I have used and really like. I like the kinds that are a little more flexible/bendable. They are super easy to put in (when you need to make a cut you just use a utility knife), look great, and are very, very durable.
If you did go with carpet I know people who are big fans of carpet tile. There are kinds that don't look like corporate office carpet and then when a patch gets stained you just pull it up and replace just that patch.
Good luck!
Darn, I just put in Lifeproof and was hoping it was going to hold up to scratching. We shall see. The good news is it aint carpet. And it floats. I absolutely love it, so far that is.
Investor 路 Milwaukee, WI 路 Member since 2013 路 1k+ posts 路 1k+ votes
7y
So, there is no perfect flooring, all have pros and cons. I suppose for a homeowner who doesn't mind replacing carpet every so often and all that, it is nice to walk on. For a rental? No way no how will I ever do it again. I also suppose it can be a decent option for common hallways and stairs where safety/traction are a concern.
Carpet is like a science experiment gone wrong - yuk.
Throw down rug? Now that's a different story. Throw them out or, take a power washer to them and let them dry in the sun - lol. For a rental, the tenant can bring them in and bring them right back out.
So my issue is it is an old house built in 1920....my contractor said LVP would not work because of unlevel floor.
Depends on how un-level and what product. I just installed a floater over a somewhat un-level floor and it was fine. I had large chunks of the old glue-down paper-backing here there and everywhere and no problem. I had to shim one spot where the hardwood under warped a bit at a transition and that's it.
Sometimes contractors say all sorts of things. Sometimes if the scenario is not 100% ideal, they steer you away. That's because they don't know how nit-picky you are going to be later when it comes time to pay the bill. Then again, much of the time it's best to take their advice.