Which Flooring for rental units?

Question

Folks which flooring is most economical and best for rental units and in following area? I had a bad experience with vinyl click flooring as after a year or 2 joints cracks and gaps appears...

Living and family rooms

Kitchen

Washroom

Rooms

Hallway

Ray Lin · Answer

I use tiles for all my flooring, living room, kitchen, bath and all bedrooms. Laminate doesn't last too long, its easily chipped and damaged from water. Sometimes, the AC water can ruins the laminate flooring. Tiles are more expensive, but hopefully I won't need to replace the tiles for the next 10 years.

Johann Jells · Answer

I don't have any experience yet with the new water-resistant laminate, but that would be the direction I would go in the next time I'm laying flooring.  I'm turning over unit I put down 10 mm in 5 years ago and it still looks absolutely terrific. The 5mm vinyl in the kitchen I put down a few years before that looks pretty good, but some of the seams are starting to do that little curl up thing.

Hamad Khan · Answer

So for rental units would you recommend using click vinyl planks or 12mm laminate? I used 4mm luxury vinyl planks on my rental units for last 2 years and i am noticing that clicks have started to break now...

Johann Jells · Answer

All things being equal I prefer classic laminate at least 8mm thick. The newer stuff claims a 24 hr spill resistance. In kitchens I've been using Tranquility 5mm click vinyl planks from Lumber LIquidators, it's about $2/ft on sale and pretty good. I used it in a long stairwell hallway and got separations, but it was definitely longer than the reccoemnded run length. I also find that vinyl easier to cut but much harder to lay than classic laminate. Way more wrestling with it to get each piece in, it doesn't slide in the joints like laminate, tapping is much harder, and no good install can avoid tapping.

Hamad Khan · Answer

Folks when you say LVP or LVT which kind are you referring to?

glue down

click one

or Allure flooring type?

i have used the cheap 4mm click LVP from homedepot and after a year too many clicks are either broken or gaps showing up.

Steve Morris · Answer

"I’m curious if all the people that responded LVP would still use it for a flip property? Is it easy to notice the hollow feel of a floating floor? I haven’t used this product before but it definitely seems appealing."

Get the moisture barrier/underlay.  I know it's more money, but fixes a lot of your complaints and adds to the marketability.

Steve Morris · Answer

Well, I think you need to address the installation or prep since I've used the linoleum plank for 10 years and it looks great and holds up.

It costs more than carpet/sheet lino, but doesn't wear.  In addition in places like kitchens/baths you can put down a moisture barrier to keep water from the subfloor.

On the engineered wood, haven't used it for a while, but my main complaints:

1) Spill water on it like in a kitchen, it gets soaked up by the center layer and rots out.

2) It used to be softer.  After a year of rocks on shoes walking on it, it looked like someone was wearing golf cleats all day long.

They may have made it better, but still like the plank lino, especially since it looks like wood (instead of a decal), the patterns easy to match, and while your floor needs to be as good as possible for install, it conforms to minor stuff and allows some leeway.

Hamad Khan · Answer

Folks when you say LVP or LVT which kind are you referring to?

glue down

click one

or Allure flooring type?

i have used the cheap 4mm click LVP from homedepot and after a year too many clicks are either broken or gaps showing up.

Jon H. · Answer

I’m curious if all the people that responded LVP would still use it for a flip property? Is it easy to notice the hollow feel of a floating floor?  I haven’t used this product before but it definitely seems appealing.

Sarah Brown · Answer

LVP.  Holds up to just about anything, including water.  Make sure you follow the instructions on installation.  Depending on how thick it is will depend on how long your runs can be before you need a transition strip.  Make sure you leave a gap 1/8" between the floor and then wall.  It's a floating floor and if it can't move it will buckle and gap.