skip to main content

Cheap & durable floor for rental kitchen

8 years ago

Hello! We are in the process of buying our first-ever rental: an old Victorian with 3 apartments. Eventually all 3 kitchens will need to be redone, but only 1 apartment is vacant so we are starting with that one. We want to keep our costs low, but make the apartments nice enough to attract quality tenants.

We are fans of color. We LOVE Marmoleum and have already installed it in two kitchens, but that is well out of our budget. VCT tile has a similar look and there are lots of great photos of fun checkerboard patterns. and it's less than $1 per square foot! The hospital where I work has VCT tile which is colorful and looks good - I've heard complaints about VCT looking too industrial, but I like the look. I'm hesitant because of the maintenance issue. I've read that it needs to be sealed, polished, stripped, etc. every year, even in a residential setting. There seems to be some disagreement on this. I can't find any luxury vinyl tile that is colorful - it's all bland neutrals.

We are open to just about anything except ceramic tile and carpet (duh). I have a bias against products that are pretending to be wood, although I guess they are a lot better than they used to be and I'm not at all ruling them out. I would like something that wears well, is easy to maintain, and preferably can be installed by my husband (not sheet, probably). And cheap!

Featured Answer

funkycamper

8 years ago

If we hadn't been able to reveal and use the original linoleum in our home, I would have put in VCT. I love the look as well. I have a friend who has VCT in her kitchen and she has told me that she simply mops it and, once in awhile, puts on a coat of wax. I don't think it's anymore maintenance than vinyl. I think once in a very long, blue moon, she does strip the wax off but I've done this myself on my linoleum and it's a quick, easy job with today's products. Just mop the stripper on, rinse, dry and then mop on a thin coat of wax. Done. If you have renters that take reasonable care of the flooring, I'm betting you'd only need to do that when prepping the apartment for new renters so things are fresh and shiny to attract a new renter.

Of course, do more research to be sure but my friend's floor looks great and she's fastidious and I know she doesn't go to all that trouble you mentioned. I would guess shes had it in for about 10 years or so.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

nosoccermom
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Just installed groutable trafficmaster vinyl tile in a rental. So far, so good. I ordered two different types of grey; I think I went with this color in a square tile.

Very easy to install and looks very nice.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMASTER-Ceramica-12-in-x-24-in-Coastal-Grey-Resilient-Vinyl-Tile-Flooring-30-sq-ft-case-24716C/202191244?MERCH=REC--SearchPLPHorizontal1_rr--NA--202191244--N
Related Discussions
Buy cheap little house for rental property?
Q
Comments (15)
It isn't easy to generate a net revenue stream from a rental property under the best of circumstances and is nearly impossible if you are using a property management company. If you want to be a landlord, you really need to be the landlord. If you have to pay someone else to manage the place, that often eats up whatever cash flow was available. As a general rule, you cannot expect for someone to pay significantly more in rent than it costs to cover the mortgage, insurance, upkeep etc at first. The key to making money is to hold the place over time. If you have a fixed mortgage rate, you lock in most of your expenses at today's costs. Over time, rent rates tend to increase, so eventually you should have a positive cash flow. Sometime in the future, you will have the place paid off and then you can just continue to collect rent or sell it and cash out the equity. Of course, all sorts of things can go wrong in the meantime. You can have major repairs. You can have deadbeat tenants. Your town can overbuild apartments and drive your rent down. Who knows what the future holds? If you are looking for a safe, no work way to make money, rental property isn't the way to go. If you are willing to manage the place and have enough other assets to weather the tough patches, then you may want to look into it further.
...See More
Best floor for rental?
Q
Comments (10)
But Pergo is not a "cheap laminate", is it? It is a single-family house in a nice neighborhood, not an apartment. Of course, renters don't take good care as they'd would if it were theirs, but they don't abuse it too much. This family has lived there for years. Too bad they are moving out. :-( :-) What if I did invest in a nicer floor and just used some of those washable synthetic area rugs (that one can buy for $300-$400) to protect the floor? TX!
...See More
New cabinet doors for rental kitchen..cheap suggestions?
Q
Comments (4)
I am too lazy to properly sand between coats and paint. I'd probably have brush marks or roll marks or something that makes it look bad. I think a thermofoil will be a little more durable and washable than my attempt at paint. I suppose I could try it instead of the gel stain, even try over top of the stain it if gel stain looks crappy. The gel stain only needs a light initial sand and none between coats. I do have to sand off the layer of grease/nicotine that my tsp scrub didn't take off of the arches in the panels. I really just want to go buy cans of spray paint and give that a go, but I know it's probably a bad idea. Can I spray paint for primer?
...See More
Cross post from flooring: "Best" floor for a rental
Q
Comments (24)
@eld, The floor was destroyed and was underneath the carpet when I bought the condo (water damage from leak above). The current tenant is moving out after 3 1/2 years. @Lars, yes I can get a higher rent but not that much higher. I also think that I need a floating floor, so not sure how this would work with a hardwood floor. Anyways, I just came back from Costco, where I saw this floor on display: https://www.harmonics-flooring.com/Products/camdenoak I tried unsuccessfully scratching it with my car key. They didn't have the Acacia. They also had this LVP (Java), which looked a bit faker, and I managed to make a very faint scratch. Java vinyl plank Thoughts? Will definitely seriously consider the LVP for my basement.
...See More
annac54
8 years ago
I know you aren't liking products that mimic wood, but you might look at the vinyl sheet wood strip flooring (not laminate). It comes in long flexible strips. My FIL put it in his house and I was surprised at how well it worked.

Just curious as to why you don't want to use ceramic.

Since I'm assuming the kitchen is not large, you might try visiting some of your local flooring stores to see if the have anything that is being discontinued and on sale. We did this for the kitchen and two baths on our last rental, and got nice material for under a dollar/sqft.
amg765
8 years ago
I like commercial VCT a lot (as long as the color combination is good - I've worked places where whoever spec'ed the floor must have been colorblind) and it would have been my second choice if I hadn't gotten marmoleum. I can't imagine that it would get a 10th of the wear it does in a hospital in a home.

When I was shopping for floors I saw that one of the big manufacturers has a commercial line that is no wax. It had good colors and I liked that it was matte. It was more expensive though, almost $4/SF, so the only cost savings over marmoleum was that you could diy it.
avalonna
Original Author
8 years ago
I had a ceramic tile floor in a kitchen for years before finally replacing it with Marmoleum. I always hated it: loud, hard, cold, and anything you drop shatters. I don't like stone coutertops either - I know I'm in the minority there!
annz3
8 years ago
We put vinyl tile from Lowe's in our rental. JUst be sure you buy the exact same brand if doing two colors. The Lowe's employee loaded me up with black and white tiles and it was a mini disaster when our installer discovered one was just a bit thicker than the other

I can't seem to add a picture
Rachele Roberts
8 years ago
My favorite floor in all the rentals I lived in was black and white vct. It was easy to keep clean, solid and wasn't hard on your legs. We had everything. The install seems easy enough as well and seems easy if one piece gets messed up wouldn't have a hard time redoing that section. I want it in my laundry room now.

Related Stories

KITCHEN COUNTERTOPS Kitchen Counters: Tile, the Choice for Affordable Durability

By Ivon Street Studio

DIYers and budget-minded remodelers often look to this countertop material, which can last for decades with the right maintenance

KITCHEN DESIGN Kitchen Sinks: Granite Composite Offers Superior Durability

By Rachel Grace

It beats out quartz composite for strength and scratch resistance. Could this kitchen sink material be right for you?

KITCHEN DESIGN Kitchen Counters: Durable, Easy-Clean Soapstone

By Ivon Street Studio

Give bacteria the boot and say sayonara to stains with this long-lasting material that's a great choice for kitchen and bath countertops

MODERN HOMES Houzz Tour: A Base Camp Designed for Adventure, Durability and Style

Rugged materials join refined good looks and clever details in a Washington family’s all-year getaway

BUDGET DECORATING 15 Ways to Ready a Summer Home on the Cheap

By Laura Gaskill

Set up a comfy getaway where stress goes down the drain, without sending wads of cash along with it

HOME TECH The Future of Home Automation: Cheap, Wearable and Mobile!

Look for smart watches and glasses that can control your smart-phone apps, which in turn automate your home equipment

BUDGET DECORATING Budget Decorator: 12 Cheap and Chic Fall Centerpieces

By Laura Gaskill

Some of the best things in fall are free (or nearly so) and make for beautiful, meaningful displays to brighten a table

KITCHEN DESIGN Kitchen of the Week: Making Over a Rental for About $1,500

By Becky Harris

Fresh paint, new hardware, added storage, rugs and unexpected touches breathe new life into a Los Angeles apartment’s kitchen

Guest Picks: Assemble a Summer Rental Survival Kit

By Valorie Hart

Cover up sketchy furniture and floors, add cheery decorations and set a beautiful table in a bare-bones summer rental home

KITCHEN DESIGN Ecofriendly Kitchen: How to Choose Flooring

By Ivon Street Studio

Conserve natural resources and your long-term finances by choosing kitchen flooring materials with durability and beauty

Sponsored

More Discussions

Nuage Quartzite - any water issues?

14

kitchen countertops

2

Need help with kitchen remodel

1

Two tier drawer in 3 stack

11

I am working on the kitchen of an investment house we are refurbishing

1