Best Carpeting To Put In A Rental Property?
I've been completely renovating the downstairs apartment of the duplex I own - my first rental property. I'm getting close to putting in new carpeting and I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the best kind to put in. I have a great local flooring company I'm working with and their general thought is to put the very cheapest flooring possible in a rental unit because it's likely going to get destroyed. I definitely want something that will last for at least four years. I was thinking that something that has been stain treated would be a good idea too. Dark colors are better? Patterns to hide any stains? Any particular kind of carpeting? I've heard Berber is the most durable.
FYI: I do allow cats and small dogs and my tenants are always required to have their carpeting professionally cleaned before vacating.
commercial carpeting..the type that they use in hotel lobbies...they take a beating.....
this is a decision you will have to make. there are two ways of thinking on this. some go cheap so they can replace after each tenant, if they stay for a extended period. most apt. complexs do this. or buy high for durablity. for me cheap is better. even though durable high priced last longer it still looks very used over time. i buy 25 oz. carpet for $4.99 a sq. yd. and replace it more often. i get it from dalton gerogia the carpet captial of the south. they shipped it to my door for $180........km
Carpeting will ALWAYS sustain damage in any unit, therefore you must consider the costs for replacement. In our opinion the medium grade carpet is the best approach. This will allow a better wear and a stronger opportunity for at least 1 -2 professional cleanings. Our rule is NO PETS in the rental units. The damage fee will never cover pet damage.
Good luck,
Eric & Rosa
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LOL! Well there you have it 3 good arguments for all 3 grades of carpet, cheap, medium and commercial! I'm more confused now then when I started! :-D
I go for cheap stain resistant carpeting with double padding. It feels like expensive carpet because it is softer than normal, but is ultra cheap
I put 1000 sq ft into my last refurbished rental property for under $900 installed.
-Chris
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When I had rentals the carpet was always trashed aout every 5 years. OTher than berber, carpet will "ugly out" before it "wears out". I would go with what the big rentals are doing, they are not giving away money and have a well thought out approach that you can follow.
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Quote:I would go with what the big rentals are doing,
Don't hold out. What exactly would that be?
I just rehabbed a rental and installed burbor style carpet.
Basically you want a carpet that is darker and with a lot of colors. Grey with specks of all colors is good. I've found that ugly clean carpet is better than pretty stained carpet. So you save money by buying ugly carpet and tenants generally don't care.
Try to balance high traffic carpet with cost. Some companies will sell their over-run carpet at deep discounts. There's no reason to spend a lot of money because you will generally have to replace the carpet often.
If you find that you have a lot of turnover, go tile all the way. Learn to install it yourself and it lasts 30 years.
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I have started putting in glue down commercial type carpet with either no pad or a pad. I usually use the pad if there are already tack strips and do not use the pad if there are no tack strips. I personally like the no pad because it is cheaper, if there are water problems it is one less thing to have to dry out, if there are pet odors you might actually get them out with a shampoo if there is no pade. Of course it is probably no appropriate for a high dollar home, but for a rental it works well.
Brenda
You could tile using a darker grout and not have to worry about carpet. It's more expensive to start out with, but lasts a long time (30+ years if done properly).
That's what I would do in a rental.
I refinished the hardwoods in a 50's home here in Michigan on my latest rental acquisition for about the same price as carpeting. I have used commercial grade in my other properties. I found that it lasted about 5 years before the seams started to fray. Has anyone had 5 years + experience with hardwoods?
If anyone is in FL --> Tiles is the way to go. A little more expense but easily cleaned and always look great.
Just my 2 cents, but I use the kanga back carpeting. It has the pad attatched and is pretty inexpensive. I get it from Lowes or Menards and it usually runs me about $1.17 per sq. yrd. If you can get it on sale, buy lots of it!
Joe
You could also look a doing pergo. It's pretty in expensive and very durable. My twins and 3 dogs haven't killed it in 5 years. Your looking around 2.49/sq.ft. You can install it yourself and maybe get a little more rent for the place. Tile is also the other way I usually go because like the previous posters said it last 30 years. I generally look at cost for over a 6-7 year span. How many times would you have to replace the carpet in 6 years? In a rental pergo would probably last 10 years. Tile until the house falls down or you get tired of it.