We have a rental property in the San Francisco Bay Area that we are renovating. Was wondering what the best flooring for bathrooms, kitchen would be. Also should we get hardwood floors or something cheaper?
Vinyl linoleum for bathrooms, kitchen and what type of flooring throughout the house? Durability is an issue, but also cost effectiveness.
Hi Frances,
Over the past few years luxury vinyl planks have become very popular. They look great, are very durable, and can be used throughout the house including bathrooms. They are more expensive than laminate flooring, but much nicer and much more durable. Hardwood floors have the advantage of refinishing multiple times, but they are also prone to being damaged, scuffed, etc. This may be an issue for a rental property. Hardwood is also very expensive.
For these reasons, we have seen a very sharp rise in luxury vinyl planks usage for both owner occupied as well as rental properties in the bay area.
Good luck,
Hometree, Inc.
Pleasant Hill, CA
Hi,
Vinyl plank flooring is a good option for flooring thought out the home. They are durable and most are water resistant. They hold up to kids and pets well. Laminates are a cheaper option but they are not great for bathrooms due to the moister. If real wood is what you are wanting, engineered wood is an option. Engineered wood is more dimensionally stable than solid wood. There are low priced engineered wood that you would not be able to sand. And there is more expensive lines that can be sanded multiple times. Some times and mush as solid wood.
The best flooring material to use when optimizing for value, in my opinion, would be vinyl floor plank for kitchens and bath rooms as it is durable, water resistant, and inexpensive and easily installed. For other rooms of the house, I would recommend a mid to better grade of laminate or floating floor. It lasts much longer than carpet, easy to install, relatively inexpensive and comes in a variety of styles and colors.
Well, that’s very hard question. you have to consider few factors:
It would most likely depend on what area of the country you are in. I know that in the Rocky Mountains area, hardwood flooring is by far the best for increasing value. Carpet and man-made hard flooring products are not only cheap-looking, but also has a short lifespan. It also depends greatly on personal opinion and what room your are dealing with, for example, I don’t think anything but tile should be put in a bathroom. Hope this helps.
Here is a great article on flooring: https://www.flooringinc.com/blog/best-flooring-resale/#What_flooring_typically_yields_the_highest_resale_value
To quote:
"Hard flooring (wood, stone) is always in demand. If you can’t afford or justify hardwood or stone, go for looks and durability, such as porcelain tile or engineered hardwood. People always love the combination of beautiful and durable.
High-end markets will see hand-scraped wood, barn style plank wood (yes sometimes from actually barns, or of European decent), large format travertine/marble and limestone, and some cantera stone touches for outdoor spaces.
Not looking to sell a million dollar home? Middle-class families love the look, durability and easy maintenance of laminate flooring, which you can purchase for a fraction of the cost of solid hardwood."
If you are looking for something that provides good value, but doesn’t look cheap and is highly durable I would recommend vinyl plank flooring. It comes in all different finishes. Can look like tile or hardwood. Is very durable, especially the commercial grade versions. It typically just snaps together for easy installation.
Water proof wood look laminate seems to be the popular look right now
Real hardwood flooring is the best rather than engineered wood, cost not much more than premium quality engineered and re-finishable many times, looks classy also. Porc tile is best when customer wants tile. For economy flooring, vinyl planks are great, durable and inexpensive.
Depends like right now we are doing vinyl planks very durable and looks like wood.
The best is Laminate Flooring. Good quality and a lot cheaper than regular hardwood floors
I agree with the others. Luxury vinyl planks are popular these days.
do you have a preferred vendor or manufacturer for this type of flooring?
We’ve been installing porcelain and ceramic tiles in kitchens and baths for as long as I can remember with only positive results. I would go with something that’s not slippery for the bath, for sure. For the rest of the house, the bigger rooms, I’d go with either a good, thick MM of laminate or engineered wood for extra strength. Carpet is passe, old fashioned, nobody wants this anymore, and it ruins quickly. In hot climates there are problems with solid wood warping over short periods of time, so I’d beware.
