Rental Property Investor · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2019 · 17 posts · 4 votes
Hello BP;
I am a newer investor with 10 units. I am about to rehab 6 of those units over the next 3 months.
I am looking for some help making a few strategic long term hold decisions;
I am going to use Luxury Vinyl Plank for the flooring and trying to see if it is worth it long term to go with a 20mil wear layer instead of 12mil.
The 12 mil is $.89 less expensive per sq ft. I am wondering if it is worth upgrading to 20 mil and paying extra or just going with the 12mil cheaper solution. Rents will be $800 per month after Reno.
12mil is MCore 1
20mil is Coretec Pro plus.
Stainless VS Black appliances
Does anyone have any thoughts on this for durability? In my mind stainless steel scratches more easily than black. The cabinets in kitchen will be white shaker. Cost isn’t really a concern on this one initially just looking for the more durable solution long term as my plan is to hold properties for the long haul.
I installed lvp in a flip I did for a client back in March. Before the house hit the market there were issues from sun light. If I ever install it again, I will not give any sort of warranty/guarantee for installation. Not my problem if a product is crap. Plus I didn’t like it, it felt like walking on hard plastic.
I'd go with stainless. Also if you are paying more than $0.89 per sqft for flooring for an $800 rental try not to go too high as long as it will last 2-3 tenants you'll be fine.
Wear layer gauge difference between those 2 shouldn't really come into play. I will tell you this though. I work for a commercial flooring and interior contracting company and we have been having multiple issues with floating LVP flooring. exposure to direct sunlight has caused expansion that has led to buckling and peaking at the joints. Some products have started to have cupping of the planks when installed over concrete without the use of a vapor barrier. We have also seen failures of the locking system when exposed to the point loads of rolling office chairs. Most of these issues shouldn't concern you but I have personally lost a ton of confidence in coretec type products lately. Mils of wear layer thickness is the equivalent of peak torque of todays diesel trucks. Its more about marketing than actual usefulness. Use the product that looks better and move on.
Stainless steel sucks. Looks great but keeping it smudge free and clean is more work than its worth. I would try to find a finish that doesn't require being wiped down 2-3 times a week.
@Benjamin Tighe I am installing LVP in a clients home and the flooring contractor also doesn’t have many good things to say about it. The issues with expansion and moisture issues cause tons of problems according to him
Reps pushed this stuff over laminate because its dimensionally stable core versus the HDF used on laminate flooring. Problem is it doesn't have the thickness to support the wear and tear to the locking system that comes with the movement of a floating floor, in extreme conditions. Vinyls are also less stable to temperature swings. That said, I would lay it in every room of a rental without hesitation. Just know that issues may arise and dont fall for the sales pitch. I'm told one mfg changed their core material formula when tariffs were erratic. It's mostly Chinese junk but still good bang for your buck.
I installed lvp in a flip I did for a client back in March. Before the house hit the market there were issues from sun light. If I ever install it again, I will not give any sort of warranty/guarantee for installation. Not my problem if a product is crap. Plus I didn’t like it, it felt like walking on hard plastic.
@Brendon Penner if your cabinets are white shaker, maybe white appliances would be nice, provided you have a good color combo on the walls & backsplash.
I have white appliances in one of my units. They are easy to clean and had a lower upfront cost compared to the black and stainless ones I have in other units.
Worst case scenario (still good!) is you don't like the look, but a tenant will like it, or won't care either way.
You should be able to get 15+ years out of either of those floors. I would price them all at the same time same supplier and keep 1 box per 2 units for the future when it’s discontinued and you need a few boards for repairs. I would go black for appliances but that’s just me.
Thanks Kris. 15 years would be great. Wasn’t sure if that was a realistic timeline. My concern is at 3 years it looks horrible and needs to be replaced.
Right now I'm going through the same internal debate.
I'm redoing the flooring of an 800 sq ft 2bd/1ba unit & have a pricy conversion of a useless door into a brick outer wall in my near future.
The difference in the warranty (for what that's worth) is 50 yr for 12mil vs lifetime for the 20 mil.
I'm going through a similar thought process as far as the countertop options of granite vs laminate counters.
I don't think I'll choose both higher end options (ie granite & 20 mil) because the returns via rent won't make that make sense.
I also don't want to lay a decent penny down on a floor that lasts only one tenant, when an extra $600-$700 could've potentially went through 2-3 turnovers.
Any additional insight on this 12 mil vs 20 mil real world comp would be gold.
I ended up going for a 12mil wear later to say costs. I actually bought it for $1.79 per sq ft at Surplus warehouse. Seemed like the best deal I have found.
As for Granite...that’s another struggle but in my apt it only seems like a $500 increase and will be way more durable than laminate. Leaning towards the granite.