The Question Is Flooring

Flooring is more than just a covering for the base of a unit. It has at least three potentials for Landlords.

It’s a potential selling point. Sometimes certain looks are “hot�. Trends in flooring can make a unit far more attractive, and potentially worth more rent to particular renters. Some people demand hardwoods. Others LOVE to walk barefoot on thick-pile carpet. Still others simply want to live in whatever is the most current “in� environment. Stained cement floors are in today, and in some areas, will pull a premium in rent.

The main question about trend-driven selling points is that yes, they may work today, but in ten years, will people scoff at a naked cement floor as being too much like living in a garage?

A potential time saver. Carpet, if cheap to purchase and install in your area, may be a perfectly reasonable and simple option for you. But those carpets will need to be cleaned periodically. And the price may be cheap today, but the cost five years out is something of a gamble.

Wood floors, if installed correctly and properly maintained, will last through your lifetime. But one bad finish mixing with one rambunctious dog or a marble column plant stand can be pricey to correct.

Stained cement, tile, and linoleum have significantly fewer maintenance issues. Linoleum/laminates may not last as long as stained cement or tile, but it’s much faster to install, and will certainly outlast just about any carpet.

A potential health concern. Off gases are becoming more and more of a serious environmental health issue. As a responsible landlord, this is a concern you should have when choosing new flooring. Not just for the potential future costs for replacement if one variety of flooring is deemed unsafe, but for the honest sake of the health of those you depend on for healthy, non-bouncing rent checks. If you are staining, using adhesives, or finishing the floors in any way, be it wood, concrete, tile, linoleum, or any similar material, be sure to check up on any known safety issues with the chemicals involved.

On top of that, many carpets are considered allergen traps, and sick tenants are not happy tenants.

Much must be weighed when choosing new flooring. Much indeed.