Ever wondered what kind of flooring to use? Maybe in your home or in a rental unit? It can be tough. You want something that will last without spending a fortune, but you also want it to look good. So here’s a little bit of my insight of the pros and cons of four different flooring options we have used in the past.

Hardwood- My favorite. There’s no better feeling than pulling up carpet and seeing beautiful hardwood underneath. In my opinion hardwood is hands down the best looking option. Not only does it look good, but people typically like to see the natural wood floor. We have a couple properties that have oak hardwood all throughout. Oak and maple are the hardest woods and ideal for floors in rentals. If you have a pine floor in a rental, you may want to reconsider finishing it as it dents much more easily. You may have better luck if you put a tough acrylic over it, but we’ve never tried so I can’t speak for certain.

So if you decide to restore the hardwood you will first want to rent an orbital sander and sand all the floors. There are typically two type types of sanders you will see: an orbital or drum. Drum sanders are used when the floor is very rough and needs a decent amount taken off. You have to be careful with drum sanders because they can leave ridges in your floor if you don’t keep it even. So if it’s your first time I would recommend an orbital. It’s easier to use and more forgiving. To get the edges of the floor you’ll use a hand or edge sander. Either or will work fine to get into the corners of the room. Next pick your stain. Read the instructions on the stain as it will tell you how to apply it. Every stain may vary slightly, as will the top coat.

For a rental, if the wood is oak or maple it’s a pretty solid flooring. The biggest concern would be if someone drug something very heavy across the floor and scratched it, or sitting water. But these could be concerns with most flooring options. So if you have the opportunity to finish hardwood I would recommend it. It’s not too tough and the biggest expense is the sander which total may run you $300 with the paper. So for some sweat equity, you can have a beautiful floor that will last a very time.

Vinyl Flooring- This is my next favorite option. If you can’t have hardwood, the vinyl planks are great. Again, this flooring is something you can install yourself. Most of the planks are a snap and lock system which is pretty straight forward. It’s also tough stuff. The vinyl is water proof so whether it be in a rental or home, you never have to worry about any sort of water damage. It is also resistant to scratches and dents and is very easy to clean. So if you have large animals, it’s a great option. Also, depending on the thickness, it can be placed over an existing floor (as long as the existing floor is not terrible!). From a price standpoint, you can get a variety of styles at the $1.99 price point and below. If you have a Lumber Liquidators near you, they have a lot of options and some great sales. The only potential down side of the planks is they can be noisy if you don’t apply a “soft walk” or some sort of pad underneath. It’s not necessary but it does make a different from a sound perspective, especially if you are using it on a second floor.

If you are doing sheet vinyl, it literally comes rolled up. Before installing, you’ll want to roll it out and let it sit for a little bit so it can “relax” and let some of the wrinkles out. You’ll also have to ensure your floor is flat and smooth. If there are slight imperfections in your sub floor you could put a skim coat over it to smooth it out. If it has multiple divots, it may be best to rip out the old sub floor (either where it is bad or the entire thing) and install a new underlayment so you have a smooth surface to install your flooring.  Your next step will be to take measurements of the room and cut the vinyl accordingly. You can then lay it down in the room. The only areas you will have to caulk are around the bathtub if you are installing it in a bathroom, otherwise it’s considered a “floating floor” so the edges are held down by the base molding. The only potential issue you could run into is if someone drags something heavy across the floor and tears it. Again this is a potential issue with most flooring options.

Laminate Flooring- Personally, we tend to opt less for laminate just because it is roughly the same cost as vinyl, but not quite as resistant. Laminate flooring is not waterproof and will swell if water is left sitting on it.  It is still great if you have pets or children, as it will hold up well. And it too comes in a variety of options.

Carpet- Carpet is often a great way to cover up old flooring and its relatively cheap. The only thing I can comment on in regards to carpet is that you typically need to have someone install it, unless you have a carpet stretcher and you have experience working with it. From that standpoint then, it is sometimes cheaper to use vinyl planks. For the last property we just worked on, it was more expensive for us to pay for carpet and labor than it was for us just to buy the vinyl plants and install them ourselves. The vinyl planks will also hold up better over time especially with animals so you won’t have to worry about replacing it in a couple years. So yes, carpet is a nice option but it is most likely something you will have to replace every couple of years in a rental. In your own home, carpet is great and you have control over how it is treated. So it is really dependent on the environment of which it is installed.

So hopefully this helped you a little bit when considering multiple flooring options. Overall, if taken care of any flooring would be a great choice. It’s just very dependent on the home it is going into and the kind of care it will receive.