Is Carpet or Hard wood better to put in a rental property in a lower income area?

March 2, 2010 by admin · 6 Comments
Filed under: Decorating & Remodeling 
carpet
Atma Prasad asked:

I just got my first rehab duplex and I am wondering what to do with the flooring. Hardwood doesn’t have to get replaced all the time like carpet can, but I noticed that when we walk on the upper unit it can be very loud for the lower unit. Would carpet make a big difference in how much sound would come from kids running around etc. in the upper unit for people living below?

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6 Responses to “Is Carpet or Hard wood better to put in a rental property in a lower income area?”
  1. Helga says:
    March 3, 2010 at 2:58 pm

    carpet will deminsh the noise, but if you go with a lament, most will have a noise reduction pad in them. its cheaper and more durable in the long run and easier to repair places that get damaged. plus it will not hold the smells in of the tenants. I lived in a building that was hardwood on all levels and did not really notice a big deal with people above me. plus, the tenants will probably put down area rugs which will also help with noise reduction. Helga

  2. ginny says:
    March 4, 2010 at 2:19 pm

    definitely hard wood, carpets have to be really cared for and not all tenants are conscientious, when they move out, you are trying to either undo the damage to the carpet, or rent it out as, which just brings in lesser than ideal tenants. good luck ginny

  3. crazyme says:
    March 7, 2010 at 4:44 am

    I would go for a linoleum that looks like hardwood. Carpet would have to be replaced with every tenant change, and Hardwood is expensive and would get scratched and damaged easily. I’ve had tenants that could nearly destroy a place in a matter of weeks. The tenants can put down their own rugs if wanted but in most lower income areas they probably won’t bother. Also if you put the same flooring of whichever kind in all your units along with the same paint color etc you can stock up on replacement and repair stuff and always have it on hand.
    Good Luck crazyme

  4. rob s says:
    March 10, 2010 at 5:48 am

    Carpet since its the best in noise reduction and is a lot cheaper. Over the years I ve found that renters , since it isn t theirs, don t care for the flooring as if its theirs.
    Vinyl or any kind is sturdier than carpet but doesn t help much in noise reduction and don t count on renters providing their own rugs.
    Hard wood will get scratched up bad from improper care and spills.
    Laminates , if you upgrade the foam padding is a better hard surface and can be cheap to install as a DIY project, but there again its prone to damage from renters.
    I ve seen this stuff over and over again.. GL rob s

  5. Jenny C says:
    March 11, 2010 at 3:50 am

    Hi, I would put carpet as a lot of renters will not take care of hardwood properly wiping up spills immediately and keeping clean to prevent scratching. It will get scratched and worn and hardwood is expensive to refinish compared to cleaning carpet. Jenny C

  6. srdgsg says:
    March 11, 2010 at 8:41 am

    renters never take care of the stuff in the house so if you are wanting to put something done that will take the neglect and be able to repair it then here are some of my choices
    Hardwood – will take scratches and high traffic and will usually last the life of the home. if you have scratches or problems you can sand it down and refinish or take a board out that is damage beyond repair. i would recomend floating hardwoods to help with replacing damaged board. usually about the same price for solid or engineered floating or glue/stapled down. now i would not get the engineered because you can only sand it once and solid you can multi times bepending on the thickness of the wood.
    Carpet – I would go with berber because it will not show traffic as much, you can get any stains out(food, drinks, pet mess ups) Only thing that you cant get away from vs plush carpet is seams. a lot of people dont know this but you can bleach 90% of berber carpet and it will not hurt or take the color out of the carpet. now berber is not know for its feel though, but ofcourse you have to look at how renters will take care of it. now berber is know to come undone – now if the problem it noticed in time then you can take a pair of scissors and cut both end and put clear finger nail polish on it to stop it from running. now berber carpet is a lot like how you shirt is put together, if you pull the string out a little you wont notice it much but if you pull and pull then of course you will notice and berber is the same way.
    Vinyl – is what i perfer in kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry rooms. now there is 3 main types of vinyl flooring, glue down, floating, and pressure/glue down. i would use the pressure/glue so it is down but you can still pull it up to do repairs or perphaps move it from the kitchen to the bath as long as it long and wide enough. also repair will not be seen. is the manufacture that i recommend that sells this product. it is very new but very good stuff. i have not seen any problems with this product, now for the glue down, once it down its down, seams show over time, and repairs are not really repairs when you can still see the spot. Floating floors if you have any air coming throw it will pick it up or sometimes water from slabs or wood will make the vinyl discolor.
    So there is pros and cons for each product but i hope this will help you make your decisions a little easier. if you have any questions just let me know srdgsg

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