for the Do it yourselfer what would be your flooring choice?

Question

my question is if you were doing the work yourself and therefore could eliminate 
installation costs, What would your flooring choice be?

I am new to this landlord thing 
I am on my fourth property and its all sink  or swim now.
My second property which is a newly acquired vacant,  is a duplex 
small 2bdrm apartments 500sqft each yes really small

I want to make up for the crampness and make it cozy 
I was thinking because I can tile pretty well to tile the whole floor 
a lot of work up front 
but less effort on the back end.

tile replacement is rather easy as long as i keep a few extra boxes in the attic.
or crawl space.

as a compromise I can carpet the bedrooms and just tile everywhere else
the bathroom and kitchen already are tiled.

cost wise I dont think I am too much beyond good laminate or vinyl flooring 
or my cheapest hardwood.

tile is only my choice because I think I will get a really nice look. which may attract a better quality tenant. I have tiled a few bathrooms before but never tackled a whole house I am sure it will take me at least a week.

laminate was my second choice 
but i have already had a floor warp due to sitting under water for  a little bit.

vinyl is now an option the labor is minimal 
the look seems decent and the maintenance and durability is there

my only concern will i be losing those more savvy tenants?

fyi 
the neighborhood is not the best. 
but I was hoping to make my units like oasis's once the doors shut.

Mark Updegraff · Answer

IMO living rooms & dining rooms should not be tile.  Maybe if was a beach house.  Personally, bruce prefinished will cost the same as ceramic and lay in about the same time.  Ceramic in kitchens & baths.  Since your just starting out I would opt for cheap and quick so you can rinse & repeat.

Steve Babiak · Answer

I have a unit for rent now, with a "rec room" in the basement where I had wood-look vinyl plank installed - everybody likes it so far.

Sometimes you have to get some traffic to see the stuff you're concerned about, to see that it isn't much to be concerned about ...

Steven Maduro · Answer

No hardwood floors in the duplex 
I do like laminate for the look. 
the good laminate which is about 12mm is very very durable.
the only problem is that it is not great with water 
so if a ridiculous tenant spills a bucket on the floor and doesent immediately mop it up 
(Warpage) as happened in my first rental. I dont even know what sort of flooring it was fortunately the warping was confined to the kitchen all I need to do is tile the kitchen and it is a simple fix.

Laminate is definitely still in the running however 
as is vinyl simply because this rental may just be a section 8 dwelling.  we are talking about folks who will drag stuff accross the floor. kids. on kool aid. no joke. if you havent seen a kid hyped on kool aid then you just wont understand.

I would like it to be a higher end property but it is just not that type of neighborhood.

I was thinking that tiling would be the most durable and at the same time cost efficient as a DIY project. 
the floors stand up to water traffic, dirt dragging. 
periodic sealing is all that is needed to keep it water proof.

I am not sold on the tiling and I am certainly not looking forward to the labor involved in laying out a floor.

not to mention. Georgia is not really a tile state like texas is. 
it may just be over kill and not appreciated.

my biggest concern is to give the place an edge in looks so I wont be vacant. in the long run

Jonathan Sowinski · Answer

I would agree that the product of choice depends on the property and what the comparables offer.  In our rentals I was fortunate enough to have the original hardwood under the carpet to refinish, in the areas where they were not salvageable and in the kitchens we used vinyl plank and love them so far…super easy to install (score and snap or cut with tin snips) and durable/water tolerant and my opinion is thy look as good as cheap laminate.  If I am redoing a bath I will opt for tile.

Mark Yuschak · Answer

It sounds like you've given each option a fair amount of thought and weighed the options.

One thing you didn't mention, and I'm assuming that's because they're non-existent, but are there hardwood floors under the current flooring?  If there are, I find refinishing them to be the best option, and most durable.  The cost ratio is by far the best.

If there are not hardwood floors, I like to go with laminate throughout (especially if it's a lower end rental...B or C property).  I don't personally install the laminate, but my guys do and they never complain about it being a complicated installation.  I like it from the cost and durability perspective too.  Once a tenant moves out, there's nothing better than simply sweeping and mopping the floors to get everything clean once again.

On A grade properties, I do carpeting, ceramic tile, etc. in the respective areas because the tenants are of higher quality and have greater expectations.  Plus, those tenants tend to exercise greater care of the flooring (and home in general).