Rental Property Investor · Anchorage AK... Grants Pass OR...... Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2018 · 37 posts · 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.
Saint Joseph, MO · Member since 2018 · 401 posts · 244 votes
7y
@Jennifer Darby
They should be able to use some shingles and tar paper to flatten it out. I just did this on solid hardwoods at my house and it worked out nicely. Brand shouldn’t matter.
Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2013 · 919 posts · 911 votes
7y
I have A/B+ type properties in AZ where it is hot in the summer. I have 100% ceramic tile on ALL my floors in ALL my properties. Why? I can take almost whatever animal you have, not worry about my floors, and collect a premium. In addition, turnover is easy.
Eastern Michigan · Member since 2018 · 81 posts · 144 votes
7y
Originally posted by @Account Closed:
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.
Yes, we found that it held up well to dog claws, water, kids, but one grain of sand under anything and drug any distance left a deep and noticeable gouge. Even with pads on stuff. We had to watch it like we would real wood floors. Other brands we have had we could do anything to, no issues. It looks nice, but I wouldn't put it in a rental
Rental Property Investor · Creston, BC · Member since 2019 · 8 posts · 3 votes
7y
@Jennifer Darby
Theres no doubt carpet really warms a place up and is the right solution for some projects. Casinos, Hotels, Airports, many restaurants have carpet throughout and they all can’t be wrong.
Glue down vinyl backed carpet would be my recommendation if you decide to go carpet. As someone else mentioned it’s easy to replace individual pieces down the road as long as it was installed correctly. ie allow the glue to tack up before setting the tile in.
Being that it’s vinyl backed is protects the subfloor from a certain amount of moisture and there actually isn’t very much carpet so it’s fairly easy to clean.
You could try commercial flooring stores and see what deals they have left overs from bigger jobs.
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.
It's probably been mentioned here.. but the only good carpet, is no carpet. Here are some reasons to avoid carpet.
It wears MUCH faster than laminate, it's dirty, hard to clean, and tenants wont take extra care with it. You will end up cleaning and replacing it often.
I strongly recommend, beyond any personal objective preference I have, to bypass carpet, use LVT or other laminate. You renters can put down nice rugs if they want. To me, it's way more classy than dingy carpet.
Real Estate Agent · Keller Williams Seven Hills · Member since 2018 · 16 posts · 4 votes
7y
@Jennifer Darby if it's at least 5 mm thick, it helps with unevenness. If you're more than a quarter inch deviance over 8ft than level the subfloor. A good flooring contractor will know how to do this but there are options you can take yourself also.
Naperville, IL · Member since 2018 · 330 posts · 357 votes
7y
Sure, all tile in hot Arizona, but in freezing Chicago, people want carpet in bedrooms. And what do you do with stairs? Installing vinyl tile on stairs is so expensive it's not worth it. And those hardwood stair covers are even pricier. We install the cheap stuff on the back wall on a roll at HD with a mid-grade pad (A properties). It's $2-$3 a square foot installed, I've gotten it on special for $1.10 but that was 7 years ago. It's not a continuous loop, but you don't WANT that, as a pet or child or chair caught just so can unravel it. So it "sheds" a bit at first. I vacuum about 3-4 times and that takes care of it. And yeah, it only lasts five years unless your tenant is meticulous. We consider it a normal expense, although we have gone to vinyl tile in living areas and kitchens. As to charging the tenant....not worth it. It's the rare judge who would give you anything for carpet over 2-3 years old other than the cleaning fee. The only carpet fee I ever charged was--dog peed past pad into the subfloor. Tenant paid for that repair.
Rental Property Investor · NY · Member since 2016 · 130 posts · 16 votes
7y
Note, if the laminate flooring isn't installed properly, e.g. you haven't used enough padding or good quality padding, you'll hear it from the unit below. They'll begin to complain about all the noise (e.g. foot traffic) coming from the unit upstairs.
Real Estate Investor · Saint Paul, MN · Member since 2017 · 543 posts · 474 votes
7y
Just be aware that some places do not allow laminate or other hard surface flooring on upper levels (above main floor) due to noise, other than bathrooms and kitchens. We use the less expensive plush from Home Depot in our bedrooms. In Minnesota people seem to
really appreciate carpet in bedrooms because of the cold and the carpet we get at Home Depot it’s cheap enough that if you have to replace every few years it’s no big deal.
Rental Property Investor · Anchorage AK... Grants Pass OR...... Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2018 · 37 posts · 18 votes
7y
@Mark S. it’s a two story home and I’m also leery about putting laminate on stairs. I figured with the price of carpet between 1-2 sq ft even if it lasts 5 years I’m still turning a very high profit for the rent I will be collecting on this property. I just wanted to see what carpet people are using when it’s necessary.
Real Estate Investor · Saint Paul, MN · Member since 2017 · 543 posts · 474 votes
7y
@Jennifer Darby I just had a small house carpeted -living/family room, hall, den, 2 bedrooms, 2 stairs with Gemini 1 from Home
Depot for $2400. It is nice stuff. The floor was pretty uneven since it is a 95 year old house and carpet seemed like a good solution. Easy, cheap, looks good and if I decide to replace some
of it in a few years I won’t feel like I wasted money. I do a couple complete reno’s a year and always use HD for my carpet.
Investor · Trafalgar, IN · Member since 2016 · 95 posts · 58 votes
7y
@Alan Grobmeier I stopped using tile as it will chip and break if something heavy is dropped on it. Also, you might as well grout it all black because it’s impossible to keep clean. Switched to LVP and will never go back....are you seeing these same issues?
Rental Property Investor · Anchorage AK... Grants Pass OR...... Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2018 · 37 posts · 18 votes
7y
@Mark S. that is the exact carpet I was looking at! What color did you end up choosing! I’m doing wood laminate for the downstairs but stairs and upstairs bedroom need carpet
Jacksonville, NC · Member since 2018 · 67 posts · 58 votes
7y
@Jennifer Darby so to actually answer your question. Use a speckled carpet with an 8 pound pet resistant pad it’s not that much more expensive for the higher quality pad and makes the carpet last longer. Also depending on the type of unit depends o what type of flooring I have installed. For a 1 story duplex unit LVP throughout. For a single family 2 story home LVP downstairs and carpet upstairs. For a 1 story single family LVP through all common areas and hallways all the way up to the bedroom threshold and then carpet in just the bedrooms. That way you can replace carpet in an individual bedroom and not worry about mismatched carpet seems at bedroom/hallway threshold.
Rental Property Investor · Anchorage AK... Grants Pass OR...... Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2018 · 37 posts · 18 votes
7y
@Ryan McKelvey that was the exact answer I was looking for! This is a two story house I’m redoing. I’m doing wood laminate downstairs and stairs and upstairs bedrooms.
@Mark S. it’s a two story home and I’m also leery about putting laminate on stairs. I figured with the price of carpet between 1-2 sq ft even if it lasts 5 years I’m still turning a very high profit for the rent I will be collecting on this property. I just wanted to see what carpet people are using when it’s necessary.
5 years ? I doubt that. A bad tenant can rip apart that carpet in 1 year. A decent tenant can ruin it within 2-3 easily.
I use no carpet. Not worth it. Laminate/vinyl/tile only. You can find them on deep discount different times of the year at then if box stores. The pro desk will sell it to you for even cheaper.
I buy in bulk whenever there is a sale. I buy vinyl for between $1-$2/sf and laminate under $1/sf. Well worth it.
Developer · Point Pleasant Beach, NJ · Member since 2015 · 303 posts · 216 votes
7y
@Jennifer Darby I would do wood laminate upstairs as well. It lasts longer and doesn’t need to be professionally cleaned between tenants. Also carpet begins to look gross after first tenants get there use and never looks new again. If you must though, I would recommend either life proof or traffic master. Both good brands and durable.
Real Estate Investor · Saint Paul, MN · Member since 2017 · 543 posts · 474 votes
7y
@Syed H. I guess it depends on your tenants. Don’t get me wrong - I prefer tile, laminate or hardwood over carpet. But there are times and places where carpet ends up being the right choice. And I guess the life span depends on the quality of tenants. I have yet to have to replace carpet as soon as you say, but I have a few what I guess would be ‘’A’ class Properties with tenants who are long term.