I'm just jumping on the vinyl plank bandwagon for my rentals. Up until know I always went the cheap carpet route. A few quick questions for you guys who already use this product in your rentals. • What has been your experience with vinyl plank so far? Is it worth it? • How many turnovers does it usually survive? • What brand do you use? • Would you mind sharing pictures? Thanks a lot!

when doing vinyl plank, do not buy any sort of adhesive-type. Only buy click-lock. Adhesive is always the crap that fails in flooring. Also, pay attention to how thick the wear layer is.

@Michael B.as a flooring store owner I suggest anything made with rigid core middle and 12 mil or higher wear layer. Hd and Lowe’s have stuff that has 6 mil wear layer but whatever u put in u need to locktite ends with g-2 loctite glue floor will not gap if this is done. The glue version bye allure is ok there is no part of floor getting sun as it will unclick the glue strips.

I have used Allure brand from HD which I have used back in 2012 and still looks good . I believe it has 25 year warranty for home use. It uses an adhesive rather than Tongue and groove to put it together . Go to the Pro desk so they can give a discount , back then I got it for $1 per sq. Go to the link for pictures https://www.zillow.com/homedet...

The allure flooring does move over time and form tiny gaps , The life proof solid core is what I have now @$3 sq I love it bit pricey but beautiful

My flooring guy has been after me to use glue down vinyl plank. It is actually designed to be loose lay. It is super thick and heavy so can stay in place with no glue, but they recommend glue at least for traffic areas to stop movement if heavy objects are on it. The nice thing about the loose lay planks is that you can very easily replace one plank. It is not very easy to replace locking flooring. The loose lay is what they use in commercial settings and glue it down. I am taking retail stores that get thousands of people per day walking over it, so it is basically indestructible and easily replaceable if one panel gets damaged.

Costco seems to be great (we like the lighter flooring).

Lowes sells Shaw Matrix Asheville Pine for $1.98. I have installed about 12,000 sf of it with success. We are about 2 years in on the first and it's holding up well. Switching from beige to an earth grey wall and the flooring has allowed me to raise the rent about $200 per month. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Shaw-Matrix-14-Piece-5-9-in-x-48-in-Asheville-Pine-Luxury-Locking-Vinyl-Plank-Flooring/999920084

@Michael B. Shaw vinyl plank flooring which is carried by Lowe’s. Around 1.89 a square foot (material only). Is 100% waterproof. It has a snap click lip that hooks the pieces together. I used to use allure with the grip strip but have now standardized on the Shaw product. Use the color of resort teak in all my rentals.

@Dustin Lavender Laminate is COMPLETELY different. The discussion is on vinyl planks, which is waterproof.

What vinyl plank product do you use?

General Landlording & Rental Properties

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What vinyl plank product do you use?

Michael B.

Newbury Park, CA · Member since 2015 · 157 posts · 121 votes

I'm just jumping on the vinyl plank bandwagon for my rentals. Up until know I always went the cheap carpet route. A few quick questions for you guys who already use this product in your rentals.

What has been your experience with vinyl plank so far? Is it worth it?
How many turnovers does it usually survive?
What brand do you use?
Would you mind sharing pictures?

Thanks a lot!

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Mark Fries

Contractor · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes

@Michael B.

After years of purchasing the allure vinyl plank from home depot I discovered that Sherwin Williams (the paint store) has their own flooring division and they provide and install a top quality vinyl plank flooring product for a $1.29 labor and material installed.... Its almost identical if not higher quality than The Home Depot products... I just wish I would have discovered this 5 years ago I probably would have saved a $100,000 or more....

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Max T.
Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
7y
@Michael B.
I need to try that. My contractor discount at SW gets me 50% off for paint and stain. I wonder if that applies to flooring as well.
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Nancy P.
Naperville, IL · Member since 2018 · 330 posts · 357 votes
7y
HD Allure looks like new after four years and two sets of tenants. First tenant had two cats.
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Mike Franco
Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2013 · 555 posts · 261 votes
7y
Originally posted by @Dutch Langley:
I just had an Armstrong LVP rigid, click floor put in a 2100 square foot house. 12 mil wear layer. Gorgeous. Got 1.99 per square on materials. 1.99 on install. Complicated house with lots of angles. Wonderful job.

where did you get armstrong for 1.99?
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Tanner Marsey
Rental Property Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2017 · 439 posts · 578 votes
7y
I swear by the Costco stuff. Personal and rentals.
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Alonso Escalante
Lender · Irvine, CA · Member since 2019 · 13 posts · 5 votes
7y
@Dante Feria
This is awesome, thank you very much for sharing! If you don't mind sharing, what type of countertop did you use for the kitchen and what of tile did you use for the bathroom?
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Brian Pfaehler
Investor · Trafalgar, IN · Member since 2016 · 95 posts · 58 votes
7y
@Michael B. I’ve been using Congoleum Carefree from Menards and it’s similar to the Allure at HD but much better quality. So far so good! I love that I can replace a piece in the middle of the floor without disassembling the whole floor to do it. Good luck!
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Dante Feria
Rental Property Investor · Columbus and Jonesboro GA · Member since 2019 · 72 posts · 56 votes
7y
The counter top is laminate and tiles came from HD , I have a revolving credit and usually get a 24 month deferred payment with zero interest when the amount purchase is more than 2k . Here is another one using a different color
https://www.zillow.com/homedet...
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Jason Bruning
Rental Property Investor · North Wales, PA · Member since 2017 · 46 posts · 14 votes
7y
I am using Shaw from lowes
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Account Closed
Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
7y
I looked into vinyl this last round and after much contemplation, went with Lifeproof from HD. I selected it based on the thick wear layer, water-tight field, the relative flexibility (to go over an imperfect floor), the floating system and not the least, the color option (lol). I love it so far, but it has not been long enough to provide a long-term opinion. I suspect it will hold up well. Eats saw blades for breakfast though.
As a side note, during this process I developed a system to install the vinyl in bathrooms going over failed tile (or other failed product that could serve as an underlay). I have not yet tried it, but will on my next project. Using a vinyl product that is watertight in the field, I intend to first lay a thick bead of polyurethane exterior-grade caulk (Vulkem brand for instance) at the wall perimeter against the sub-floor and bottom plate and under the wood base-trim, and also at the door threshold, keeping water inside the bathroom. From there, I will loose-fit the vinyl. After the loose fit, I will lay another thick bead of exterior caulk under the vinyl around the perimeter only. Finally, I will install a shoe over the vinyl and against the base, using a silicone caulk behind and under the shoe to keep the water from entering the small unprotected zone. The idea here is to have a bathroom flooring system that is relatively inexpensive, long-lasting, easy to install, easy to replace, and be virtually water-tight.
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James Barnhart
Rental Property Investor · Ocala, FL · Member since 2016 · 226 posts · 140 votes
7y
Tile is at least $3 sq. ft. for installation in our area, plus the product costs. It should be installed on roofing felt, so if the slab cracks, the tile won't crack with it.
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Dutch Langley
Flipper/Rehabber · Matthews, NC · Member since 2019 · 198 posts · 239 votes
7y
@Mike Franco I got it through a company here called MyNewFloor.com I got a discount that was going on for that month and bought for two of the houses I am flipping.
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Blake Garcia
Rental Property Investor · Big Sandy, TN · Member since 2013 · 147 posts · 91 votes
7y
Lowes sells Shaw Matrix Asheville Pine for $1.98. I have installed about 12,000 sf of it with success. We are about 2 years in on the first and it's holding up well. Switching from beige to an earth grey wall and the flooring has allowed me to raise the rent about $200 per month.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Shaw-Matrix-14-Piece-5-9-in-x-48-in-Asheville-Pine-Luxury-Locking-Vinyl-Plank-Flooring/999920084

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Neetu Dsouza
Real Estate Investor · Boyds, MD · Member since 2012 · 9 posts · 0 votes
5y
Originally posted by @Jared Bestebreur:
@Michael B.
Mannington Audra Max - Definitely on the high end but lots of online retailers sell it for $2.5-3/sq ft. We used it for our high end townhomes and love it.

Do you mind sharing the name of any of the online retailers?

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