Let's Talk About Flooring

Let’s talk about flooring. One nice thing about figuring costs on flooring is that when an entire house needs it, we can quickly multiply the square footage by a predetermined “price per sq. ft.” number. This especially comes in handy when we are pressed to come up with an offer price because it simply doesn’t take a lot of time.

As I stated in my article Real Estate Investing Rehab Tip #7, a good real estate mentor would encourage repair over replacement whenever possible. Flooring is one of the exceptions to that rule. This is primarily true when there is a textile floor covering (carpet). Carpet retains dirt, not only that which is visible, but odorous. Try and sell a home to a retail buyer that smells bad!

With few exceptions, there are basically 4 types of floor materials that meet the accepted standard for today’s home. They are:

• Carpet
• Ceramic Tile/Stone
• Linoleum
• Laminate (simulated hardwood)

In many U.S. communities, carpet is a preference. This is especially true in the bedroom. The other three on the list are more resilient and most often used in bathrooms and kitchens.

While tile of all sorts is often attractive and wears like iron, for real estate investment purposes, is too costly and cannot be completed in one day. It often involves 1 or 2 return trips. From both a labor and material standpoint, tile is prohibitive and (in most cases) I don’t recommend it for the investor.

Linoleum is commonly used in kitchens and baths, yet its’ downfall is that is can rip and stain. It is also a problem by the bathtub as it can delaminate from exposure to excess water. I say: If it’s there and in good condition, leave it.”

Over the last 15 years or so a variety of simulated-wood flooring products have come to us. I believe the concept originated, or was at least refined, in Scandinavia. Now, thanks to free enterprise, there are a plethora of knock-offs at a very attractive price point. It is possible to procure laminate flooring less than $9.00 per sq. yard. Compared to carpet, the price is competitive and its’ lifespan should out live carpet by a long shot!

Other advantages include:

• 1-day installation
• No special tools required
• No special skills required

A word of caution: Avoid purchasing the special trim pieces. This is where they make their profits! It may be cheaper to replace the baseboards altogether. Many times, as in older homes, baseboards could use some improvement and the pre-primed fiber-board baseboard stock available at your local home-improvement center is really rather cheap. If the project moves to this extent, it will look stunning when you’re done! This may be an improvement that proves to be well worth the investment.