Posted by Nancy in NC on July 24, 2007 at 20:20:56:
Great idea, my husband and I have installed laminate at home. I never thought of it for the rentals. Does it stay clean and how about scratches and gouges over time.
Does it hold up with pets. Sometimes they bring in pets in spite of the No Pet clause.
Replace Carpet, Paint Floor, or new Hardwood - Posted by Mike Chicago
Posted by Mike Chicago on July 23, 2007 at 07:35:46:
I have a $950 rental with wornout berber carpet in the living and dining room, approx. 400 square feet total. I have basically three options (1)I can replace the carpet, or (2) put in nice new hardwood at about $2400 for material and labor, or tear out the carpet and paint the rough wood floor underneath. The new hardwood floor would mean a somewhat higher rent, possible rent a bit sooner, but would it be worth the expense? How about new carpet?
$ 100 vs 600 vs 1000 vs 2400 - Posted by JT-IN
Posted by JT-IN on July 24, 2007 at 11:16:40:
Floor paint = $ 100 bucks
Carpeting = $ 600 bucks
Laminate = $ 1000 bucks
Hdwd flr = $ 2400 bucks
50% return on investment = Priceless
If the property will rent for the same $ 950 per month, whether the floor is painted or carpeted, then I would paint it. If it would rent for $ 1100 with hdwd flrs, then I would install hdwd floors. Or, if laminated flooring brings in $ 1050, then laminate the heck out of the place.
In other words, if the payback on any dollars spent is 50% per yr or more of what you spend, then I would do so. If it is less return than that, then I would stay with the cheapest option possible. There is no free lunch at your spot… or free laminated flooring either.
Let’s face it, $ 950 per month in Chi-town isn’t exactly uptown, is it…? Give them about what they expect to get, and if that is a clean floor, of whatever composition, then that is what I would provide.
JT-IN
Re: Replace Carpet, Paint Floor, or new Hardwood - Posted by michaela-CA
Posted by michaela-CA on July 23, 2007 at 20:07:14:
Mike,
depending on the color of your berber, you can also get it dyed. So, if it’s a light color now, you can dye it darker and it will cover discolorations, that you can’t get cleaned out.
Michaela
Re: Replace Carpet, Paint Floor, or new Hardwood - Posted by Sailor
Posted by Sailor on July 23, 2007 at 16:15:53:
I have MHs, & my tenants are death on carpet. I only use laminate
& vinyl & charge extra for my lovely floors. BTW, I only buy stoves
w/self-cleaning ovens since none of my tenants have ever cleaned
an oven. I charge $50 if I have to do it & that’s not nearly enough.
I charge separately for a dirty stove top.
Tye
Laminate - Posted by Jimmy
Posted by Jimmy on July 23, 2007 at 08:47:12:
I gave up on carpet in my rentals 3-4 years ago. Now its laminate and vinyl.
laminate costs anywhere from 80 cents to $2 a foot. I have found that the 80 cent stuff breaks more easily during instlalation (the little “male” ridge that slipis in to the “female” slot breaks. I now use a slightly more expensive and higher grade laminate. dosts about $1.29 a foot. Labor ti ubstall runs from $1 to $`1.25 a foot.
Re: Replace Carpet, Paint Floor, or new Hardwood - Posted by Frank Chin
Posted by Frank Chin on July 23, 2007 at 08:15:11:
Mike:
I gave up on hardwood floors for tenants. I strictly recarpet.
I happen to love hardwood floors, and often have tenants ask if they can take off the carpet as I actually got a real hardwood floor underneath. I said NO.
Why??
I stopped after we spent some bucks sanding, and polyuthening a sparkling new floor for a rental, and after renting it to two single guys that loved the place because of the floors, I found that they love to drag furniture around the place, resulting in deep gouges on the floor, where I had to have the floors sanded again and redone before re-renting.
With carpet guys being so competitive around here, I can have someone come, take the old carpet off, cut it up for disposal, and recarpet the place the next day, and a very reasonable price. And the place looks spanking new!!
And if I had to redo hardwood floors, I doubt I can turn it around that quickly. Time is money for me.
Frank Chin
Re: Laminate - Posted by Max-VA
Posted by Max-VA on July 24, 2007 at 05:45:00:
AMEN to the laminate. Pay about $1.29 a sq. ft. and install yourself in a few hours. I can lay about 600 sq ft in about 8 hours by myself.