Posted by Rich-CA on July 04, 2008 at 21:27:46:
I did laminate flooring in Colorado Springs because the quote by my general contractor was only 15% higher with laminate. The two things I like about laminate are (1) it looks a lot better in the main living areas than carpet (important from a sales/marketing point of view) and (2) if I need to replace part, only the section damaged needs to be replaced, even though you have to unclick the floor back to the damaged spot. If the labor is a wash, then the laminate is less expensive. Oh, and any damage to laminate is clearly the tenant’s fault but with carpeting its harder to separate normal wear and tear and damages. Finally, if nothing happens to the flooring (and in my units if the flooring is damaged by a tenant it usually comes with a lot more damage than just that - but its rare), then the laminate lasts practically forever, well past 3 or more carpet replacements (assuming a 5 - 7 year normal wear life).
The stuff I used was vinyl attached to a vinyl backing. It does not damage from water.
Floating Vinyl Floor - Posted by Rich-CA
Posted by Rich-CA on July 04, 2008 at 13:10:23:
This is kind of a follow up to a couple of discussions on types of flooring. I just put down my first floating vinyl floor. The product says its designed to go over existing flooring and does not adhere to whatever is underneath it. I picked up the Allure product at Home Depot in a stone look at we just finished up one bathroom. It looks every bit as good as glue on vinyl but it sicks only to other pieces of the flooring system so in the end you have one large “piece” of vinyl. The material is very thick and seals well against moisture. It is quite a bit harder to cut than vinyl, being about 2.5 times as thick, but you only have to deal with one piece of 3 “tiles” at a time.
Anyway, I will now complete the other bathrooms with this product. Since its a “handyman” grade of difficulty to install, its a lot less expensive to use this than using a flooring requiring a professional installation.
Re: Floating Vinyl Floor - Posted by jack E
Posted by jack E on July 05, 2008 at 16:05:57:
After several we have quite using carpet. I is a pain and always has some damage after every tenant. We use only ceramic tile or laminate. Its up to you but take it from a long tme landlord, carpet stinks.
Re: Floating Vinyl Floor - Posted by Chad (MD)
Posted by Chad (MD) on July 04, 2008 at 17:54:59:
I was interested in trying laminate after reading the recommendations on this board.
So far I’ve carpeted all my rentals since the floors were usually painted wood. I have a very good (and cheap) carpet guy.
His opinion was that carpet was a better value. He said tenants can mess up laminate just as easily as carpet. He also installs laminate. I forget his quote, but it was a lot more than carpet.
I’m getting ready do a rehab that is a complete gut job. I will need new floor joists. I’m tempted to do some more high-end features (such as laminate or hardwood floors and CAC), but I’ll probably stick with carpet because the rents in that area simply don’t support the costs.
Preaching to the choir - Posted by Rich-CA
Posted by Rich-CA on July 05, 2008 at 20:18:57:
The only time I use carpet is when I have not got the reserves or time to make the change. Otherwise, I hate carpet. Except for resale.
Re: Floating Vinyl Floor - Posted by Sailor
Posted by Sailor on July 05, 2008 at 17:22:17:
I don’t use carpet in any of my rentals because I only want to do the floors once. I find laminate to be the cheapest & easiest landlord solution in the long run, though I usually install floating vinyl in children’s bedrooms. I think I installed laminate the 1st time in 1996, when you had to glue & strap it. BTW, that original installation is still like new.
My handyman gripes so much about ripping out smelly carpet that I’d never install that even if it was free (& yes, there is such a thing as free carpet). Don’t forget to figure in the removal & disposal of old carpet in your pricing. Trips to the dump & dumpsters are expensive.
Another thing for landlords to calculate is how much fleas l-o-v-e carpeting. Even though my rentals are supposedly pet-free, I do discover illegal dogs every few months, & once a dog is in the unit it has to be professionally treated for fleas. Bug bombs are not sufficient; in fact, they can be more expensive than a pro.
Tye (whose own home is mostly laminate)
Re: Floating Vinyl Floor - Posted by Ed in Idaho
Posted by Ed in Idaho on July 05, 2008 at 08:42:27:
Hi Chad! Just my opinion, but I’ve had it with carpet in rentals. From a sales point I can see the value of it, but for rentals, what a pain. Oh man is it beautiful when it first goes in…after that, not so much. I’ve gone to tile or linoleum in wet locations (kitchen, baths, laundry) and laminate everywhere else, although I look at everything new and will check out what Rich is talking about.
If you really want to be convinced, spend a little time in the Mobile Home Forum and check out the posts on flooring there. But be careful, you may come across stories that could scar you for life!