Flooring choice for rental

[Triplegreen500]

So. I'm renovating one of my rentals. Bare-stud, totally fresh redo - wiring, plumbing, lighting, all of it. Drywall is hung, I'm in the mud process now, I have cabinets and fixtures ready to go in. Doors will be 2-panel design

And kitchen cabinets will be farmhouse style, painted finish. Bathroom is also traditional

Porcelain tub will have subway tile and charcoal grout

Bathroom floors will be white hex with charcoal grout.

I like the traditional look and it's a country setting. Paint will be shades of neutrals, trim bright white.

My debate is, what to do with the rest of the flooring. It will be hard surface. Debating true wood (I can get unfinished hardwood for $1/sf), or waterproof composite (about $2/sf). But...how to finish it? Those bleached/pickled/white-gray wood floors are ... trendy, but still a lot of them out there. Or, a more traditional wood finish (blonde, gunstock, oak, etc).

Thoughts? Again. It's a rental, so it has to appeal to people potentially every couple of years...and I do not want to go redoing it every tenant so I also want durable. Upstairs apt is true hardwood from the 1950s and I love it

It isn't perfect, but for 73 years old it's damned nice. THAT, is durability!

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

LVT is really good stuff, I used a commercial grade in my retail store 12 years ago and it still looks great. I put LVT in my basement and we really like it. Very easy to install

 

[RR Fan Dan]

I used this for my kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom, 2 years ago. It is holding up nicely. It truly is water resistant. I even used it for my kitchen counter tops over the top of the existing Formica.

Lowe’s Quick Step

 

[Triplegreen500]

I guess my main question wasn't clear - what COLOR would folks go with? Natural wood, or the bleached/gray/pickled look?

 

[RR Fan Dan]

I guess my main question wasn't clear - what COLOR would folks go with? Natural wood, or the bleached/gray/pickled look?

Where is the flooring going? Is the picture above with the hardwood floors what is not being replaced? Is that what the new flooring is going up against?

 

[Triplegreen500]

The photo above is the finished unit in the duplex.

The new flooring will be going in the other unit.

Here.

 

[RR Fan Dan]

The photo above is the finished unit in the duplex.

The new flooring will be going in the other unit.

Here.

View attachment 1820823View attachment 1820824View attachment 1820825View attachment 1820826

Oh in that case, I would go with natural wood like an oak color, or cherry if I wanted a more formal look. Both of those are timeless and will age well and not look bad 25 years from now. Unlike shag carpet and avocado green bathroom fixtures.

 

[Triplegreen500]

No carpet - ever! - and the bathroom fixtures and tile are WHITE. Want color in the bathroom? Paint. Easy to change with trends compared to the tile and fixtures.

Upstairs unit:

White tile, charcoal grout, and currently navy blue paint.

I'm leaning towards natural wood tones as well. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy by not doing the bleached stuff.

 

[Mopar Hunter]

I would go natural wood is classic.

 

[Moms68]

LL Flooring has a great selection. I've used their 6mm vinyl plank and it is terrific. Grays are very popular and look great. You can apply for a contractor account and get very good pricing.

Gray Vinyl Plank Flooring

 

[Hey-O]

If you're at a point where wood is your go to flooring, make it light. It doesn't show dust as much.

 

[Detective D]

In WI historically homes either had plank floors(whichever tree was handy, hardwood not pines) or Hard Maple. So a lighter color, old time shellac from the 1800's would turn a very golden color but still allowed the grain to show even though hard maple has a "light" grain to start with.
Indestructible also. In fact the people that built the grain storage(upstairs)/milkhouse(downstairs) used 3/4" thick hard maple regular looking flooring for the barn I grew up with built in the 1800's and the floor was in good enough shape to save it when the barn came down 15 years ago.

Homes used to have ornate carved wood as regular trim in a variety of laquer color finishes to show the grain. I don;t know how or why that fell "out of style" to have ornate trimwork, but instead people slob white paint on everything. So maybe I am biased, but if you look at old "manor houses" they preserved that wood work and that is why they look good. People that preserved the original huge base board and crown molding in WI farmhouses usually see a value benefit. Not all are created equal, some people built a home in the 1800's and put a plain 1x8 as a base board made out of elm or some other low tier wood. not exactly a show piece.

Anyway, that all said, if it was me I would put natural wood floor if it is affordable to you and finish it in a traditional blonde or "gold" look if you already have some like it in the building. My current home everything was done in "colonial" color(sort of like walnut but not) so we have always stuck with that, but on a floor it will show dust and dirt.

People should weigh the decision to slob white paint over original woodwork a lot heavier then they do. When I was a kid painted white cabinets etc. was what you did when you couldn't afford to refinish good cabinets, or the cabinets were not worthy of a traditional finish. It was the "last stop" to make some crappy cabinets last a bit longer. In the old days that was laminate doors, (fancy plywood) modern would be particle board cabinets. To this day I am shocked at how accepting people are that "quality cabinets" are made of particle board and they pay a premium for them, and are willing to throw out hardwood carved cabinetry because the finish is beat up and they look old. Toss out oak cabinets to install "premium" painted white particle board or "hardwood" cabinets made out of soft maple heartwood or gumwood with no grain and bad color. Or simply slob white paint over nice white oak cabinets because the box stores sell it and it is trendy to have "clean white" stuff.

Anyway, this got really long. Hardwood all the way man!

 

[WileE]

All I can say is, I commend you on your hard work and brilliant results. And I don't envy your landlord status, been there & done that. Good luck with tenants, the most despicable people next to car dealers on the humanity scale.

 

[Hey-O]

All I can say is, I commend you on your hard work and brilliant results. And I don't envy your landlord status, been there & done that. Good luck with tenants, the most despicable people next to car dealers on the humanity scale.

X2 well said!!

 

[Triplegreen500]

I think painted trim came into fashion when wood quality went downhill. Wood that was worth "looking at" became too expensive so most wood trim is now PVC, laminated particle, or crappy soft wood with knots and stuff you don't want to see.

Much as I love stained wood trim...it's pricey. And, this is a rental. Bathroom is definitely getting PVC trim (wet environment), rest of the apt may get PVC, or may get laminate. Comes down to $/lf.

 

[Hey-O]

My last three houses I've lived in or flipped were two panel doors and the baseboards are 5 1/4. It's all about decor style and it changes consistently. Stain trim left and painted trim is in. Six panel doors are out, three were in and now it's two. Cheaper materials showed up because everything gets painted. Hardwood floors are out because of cost and maintenance. LVP floor is in because it's bullet proof and basically forever. Styles changes drive the market, hardwood was the basic free flooring with new houses till carpet became cheaper to manufacture to replace it. Look at plumbing fixtures, gold is still out, but brass is in. I've done every style known to God and my daughter is over the edge with her flips. People walked away from dark stains and woods for a brighter cleaner look. White trim works with every style and color wall. White trim is not leaving any time soon.

 

[Detective D]

My last three houses I've lived in or flipped were two panel doors and the baseboards are 5 1/4. It's all about decor style and it changes consistently. Stain trim left and painted trim is in. Six panel doors are out, three were in and now it's two. Cheaper materials showed up because everything gets painted. Hardwood floors are out because of cost and maintenance. LVP floor is in because it's bullet proof and basically forever. Styles changes drive the market, hardwood was the basic free flooring with new houses till carpet became cheaper to manufacture to replace it. Look at plumbing fixtures, gold is still out, but brass is in. I've done every style known to God and my daughter is over the edge with her flips. People walked away from dark stains and woods for a brighter cleaner look. White trim works with every style and color wall. White trim is not leaving any time soon.

I agree. It still amazes me. Well maybe not so much, America loves Walmart too and chinese garbage so whatever has a nice display at the box store or they see on social media gets the nod regardless of actual quality.
I will refinish the trim thorughout my entire house before I put plastic or white painted junkwood in. I have red oak trim. it is the lower profile(thick at the base though) style from the 70's but it is around every room, door, and window. The kitchen has paneled red oak cabinets. No f'ing way would I pitch those out for painted particle board.

 

[Hey-O]

I agree. It still amazes me. Well maybe not so much, America loves Walmart too and chinese garbage so whatever has a nice display at the box store or they see on social media gets the nod regardless of actual quality.
I will refinish the trim thorughout my entire house before I put plastic or white painted junkwood in. I have red oak trim. it is the lower profile(thick at the base though) style from the 70's but it is around every room, door, and window. The kitchen has paneled red oak cabinets. No f'ing way would I pitch those out for painted particle board.

If it's not broken, don't fix it!!

I've built entire interiors for law firms from baseboards to crown moulding and everything in between. Everything by hand out of mahogany or you pick a wood. It's to expensive to do today for the general public. If you have it, keep it!!

 

[Triplegreen500]

And my new debate (budget driven) - solid surface kitchen counters? Or concrete? I can likely do concrete MUCH cheaper than solid surface...

 

[cosgig]

Here’s a rental unit I just finished up, sounds much like what you’re doing. The flooring is click together flooring with I think the 12mil finish for commercial use. I also did the upstairs unit in the same floor about 5 years ago and it is holding up tremendously. Much better than carpet, which always gets trashed, and hardwood is also a good floor, but much more expensive, and the savages always seem to trash that.