Wood Floors in Rental Unit
We are renovating our tenant’s apartment and about to put in new flooring. It will definitely be hardwood but I was wondering which type would be better? Should I go with hardwood, veneer, engineered? Can anyone explain the differences? These are neat, long term tenants that we like very much.
We are renovating our tenant’s apartment and about to put in new flooring. It will definitely be hardwood but I was wondering which type would be better? Should I go with hardwood, veneer, engineered? Can anyone explain the differences? These are neat, long term tenants that we like very much.
I’d happy to provide you with an estimate.
Brewse
I just went to one of the “better” flooring suppliers and they said that they stopped selling bamboo- too many problems, can’t be refinished etc…
If you are concerned about environmental issues, specifically using a renewable material, you might want to consider using bamboo floors which are at least as hard oak, cost less, and are quite beautiful.
wow, great post. thanks!
most contractors do floors, they aren’t really hard to do so the key is to find a good general contractor.
You can go with one of the flooring specialists as well, there have been some comments here on some of them that may help you decide.
The main things to be sure your contractor does when installing new floors are:
1) let the wood sit in the unit for at least a few days, preferably a week, to allow it to adjust to the proper humidity level. Some wood is very fresh and needs a little time to dry out, if it’s installed before dry it will shrink and you will have gaps between the boards. Likewise if the wood is very dry and being installed in a humid environment it can expand and buckle.
2) Make sure they remove all moldings before installing the floors. Sounds obvious but I’ve seen guys install up to the moldings but not under them. There are lots of hacks out there looking to cut corners.
3) Make sure they undercut the door frames – essentially the same issue as the moldings but in this case they need to cut the bottom of the frame to allow the wood to slide under it. They will also need to trim the doors to compensate for the higher level of the floor.
4) They should leave a 1/4″ gap between the end of the floor and the wall to allow for expansion. This will be covered by the moldings so it won’t be noticable but will let the wood expand and contract with the seasons so it doesn’t buckle.
5) Be very clear about where you want the floor to be laid. Do you want it in the closets? If in a kitchen, do you want it under the existing cabinets? Do you want them to remove your radiators and install the floor under them?
6) Specify the grade of wood that will be used. #1 is usually fine for a rental, #2 is ok but will have many more imperfections. Select is best and usually won’t cost that much more. Also be sure that they don’t buy the short boards. I’ve seen floors where all the boards are 2′ in length because they bought the leftovers. There is usually a good mix of lengths from 2′ to 5′ long. Be sure that when they are laid they are mixed up. You don’t want one section that is all long boards and another section that is all short.
The better your contractor the less you will have to worry about all these little details but it never hurts to confirm everything so there are no issues or mistakes.
I have a similar situation in my soon to close Bed-Stuy brownstone.
Where/who do you recommend to supply and install the flooring?
go with solid plank flooring. You don’t save much with engineered or veneer and they don’t last as long and/or don’t look as nice.
You can get new red oak installed, sanded, sealed, and poly’d for around $6/ft. It looks good and will last a lifetime.