Laminate flooring in kitchen rental

Marilyn in CO · #1 11/10/06, 12:23 PM

I am thinking about putting laminate in a kitchen rental house. The flooring people say as long as you don't let a bucket of water sit on it for an extended period, it should be fine as far as water damage. I can get on line a product for .78 a sq. ft plus a roll of foam for $50, Lowe's has $1.00 sq. plus the foam and a local building supply store has $1.39 sq. ft that includes the foam. I waiting for a call from Home Depot. Also they say if you can install a ceiling fan, you can DIY the laminate. I am going to put it over an existing cheap kitchen carpet with a bit of an uneven floor and they say it can be done.....no problem. No nails or glue just snap together and cut. Is it really this easy? Any comments greatly appreciated. Would it be adviseable to get the product online? I am a bit leary of doing that.

rambler · #2 11/10/06, 12:32 PM

As long as you understand you are buying a rock-bottom cheap product that is designed to install easily.....

It is not designed for 100 year ruggedness, last through anything, etc....

You know, we can buy a ratchet tool set from Mac Tools for $350, or we can buy the 'same' set of tools from Harbor Freight Tools for $19.98 on sale.....

One set is great to throw in the back of the car & be there if you need to use it once or twice. The other set will serve a mechanic for 50 hours of use a weekfor 40 years, and be handed down to a family member for more.....

That floor is easy to install, will work out, and be easy to scrap out & replace every few years if the renters destroy it.

It won't last 50+ years in the house, & you need to have realistic expectations on this.

--->Paul

ponyboy123 · #3 11/10/06, 12:53 PM

I find with my rentals, laminate flooring is best reserved for room with little moisture; bedrooms, dining rooms. They will suffer water damamge over time, especially if laid over an old carpet which will just hold moisture and allow the damage to hasten. In my rentals I use ceramic tiles for heavy traffic amd moisture areas, it cost more in the begining but these materials stand up much better over time.

mj1angier · #4 11/10/06, 01:00 PM

We ( the wife and I) did a DIY in our living room about 4 yars ago with. Pulled up the old carpet and put down the foam, then the flooring. It did great, has lasted very good with two large dogs and two cats. It has good scratch restiance ( need to put rubber feet on any furn. that has hardwood feet), what out for impact damage- it can chip but just take out the damage piece and replace. One thing it will dull yor saw blade fast.

melina · #5 11/10/06, 02:07 PM

It is not recommended in kitchens and bathrooms. Very bad idea. Even a slow leak from plumbing or dishwasher will ruin it. DD just had this problem in her kitchen, after a new dishwasher sprung a leak and buckled the flooring. Sears told her to take a hike, her husband had installed the dishwasher, rendering the guarantee useless, and the flooring was put in an area it's not guaranteed for. Screwed all around.

fantasymaker · #6 11/10/06, 02:18 PM

You can put it OVER carpet? Is there any way it would look good if you do?

Pink_Carnation · #7 11/10/06, 02:47 PM

I would be concerned about what would happen if they have a dog who has accidents on it...and they don't clean it up promptly.

Silvercreek Farmer · #8 11/10/06, 03:37 PM

I wouldn't do it, I have seen many kitchens where the edges of the boards are "bubbled", especially in front of the sink.

As for the carpet question, I wouldn't think so.

MullersLaneFarm · #9 11/10/06, 03:48 PM

What does your landlord say about it?? My last renters didn't like the color of the carpet in the LR/DR (nice neutral beige). They pulled it up and put down some cheap, foam backed junk (and did a bad job at it too). When I told them they wouldn't be getting their deposit back (there was other damage to the house including cutting a hole through the floor and sub-floor to the basement) because the cost to recarpet would be 3X their deposit, they had the gall to ask if they could keep the carpet!!!

SolarGary · #10 11/10/06, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melina

It is not recommended in kitchens and bathrooms. Very bad idea. Even a slow leak from plumbing or dishwasher will ruin it. DD just had this problem in her kitchen, after a new dishwasher sprung a leak and buckled the flooring. Sears told her to take a hike, her husband had installed the dishwasher, rendering the guarantee useless, and the flooring was put in an area it's not guaranteed for. Screwed all around.

I suppose peoples experiences vary, but we have had laminate in our kitchen for 9 years with no problems. And, we spill a lot

Gary

Northumberland · #11 11/10/06, 05:35 PM

And I have had it in a bathroom for at least five years and no problems either.

Marilyn in CO · #12 11/10/06, 05:45 PM

I don't allow pets in the house, which truly would be quite nasty if dog pee got in those cracks. I don't know, all things considered, maybe I would be better off putting down some inexpensive kitchen carpet down over the existing because what is there is glued down. I am wondering if the cheap grade laminate is so cheap that is won't stand up under anything. I don't want to put the bucks out to put in ceramic tile, although I know that would be quite practical. This is an 80 yo cottage and what my kids tell me is I need to bulldoze the thing.LOL It is time to spruce up the place, if I want nice renters. Still thinking..............

Macybaby · #13 11/10/06, 05:52 PM

Yup on the not letting water sit for extended periods of time - like say 30 seconds . . . (click-fit installation)

I am currently pulling the laminate OUT of my kitchen, it has been less than a year. It's just too easy to have things happen in a kitchen that you don't catch as fast as you think. And it's our house, I would not expect renters to even care about trying to mop up spills ASAP. We'll reinstall it in another room that isn't subject to wet like a kitchen/entry way is.

Also, we didn't get a cheap grade laminate, but it is click fit. In our last house, we had glued laminate, and in 4 years, didn't have any problems with it. I still love the look, ease of installation and durability against scratches and such. Just doesn't work in my kitchen.

Cathy

Boleyz · #14 11/10/06, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolarGary

I suppose peoples experiences vary, but we have had laminate in our kitchen for 9 years with no problems. And, we spill a lot

Gary

I built a brand new house - 2400 sq feet and we put laminate everywhere except the bathrooms and entry doors where we laid ceramic tile.

My kitchen has it and we LOVE it...We also spill a lot AND damp mop it weekly. We've lived here a year now and the floors look as good as they did on day 1.

Laminate is all I'll EVER put in a house, simply because it IS cheap, durable, and easy to install...

Macybaby · #15 11/11/06, 08:32 AM

Boleyz,

Did you install click-fit or glued? What we put in our house in WI was an edge glue installation, and nothing seemed to bother that.

We installed click-fit here in SD, and after a year, are having problems in spots were we had water issues. Like when I spilled about 3 gallons of water, and I could not mop it all up that fast, and when we were without power for ten days and the fridge peed all over the floor. Didn't realize we had water under it until it got to be enough that it appeared out from under the appliance.

I'm planning on putting a different type laminate in the kitchen now. It's called something like Dura-ceramic, and it looks a lot like granite tiles, but is acrylic. It's more expensive, and a bit more work to install, but I sure do like it.

I've still got several rooms to put floors in, so always looking for ideas.

Cathy

Alice In TX/MO · #16 11/11/06, 10:59 AM

I do not have experience with laminate, but I do have experience with rental property.

I would rather do what is necessary to put down sheet vinyl than experiment with laminate.

But, that's just me.

I'm kind of hoping someone has click install laminate in a rental and reports here!

Cyngbaeld · #17 11/11/06, 11:15 AM

In my experience renters can, and will, ruin anything you put in.

Anybody want to buy a rental house in Rangely, CO? LOL

Boleyz · #18 11/11/06, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macybaby

Boleyz,

Did you install click-fit or glued? What we put in our house in WI was an edge glue installation, and nothing seemed to bother that.

Mine had the edge-glue and pad already on the bottom. It also has some kind of "Armor coat". I'm not sure what that means, but I can tell you that I wore out 2 carbide-tipped 12" saw blades on my mitre saw.

I simply laid mine right over the subfloor.

In the basement on the concrete I had to put down a layer of plastic under the laminate.

So far, it's been down over a year with no problems at all.

Marilyn in CO · #19 11/11/06, 12:02 PM

MullersLaneFarm, Oh man, your renters pulled up a rug and put their own in, AND cut a hole in the floor.....grrrrrr. I state in my lease, that thou shalt not add or substract anything to the house or bring out the wrath of said landlord, but yep, I have had similar experiences over the years.

Kim, So true and no I won't be taking you up on that offer.LOL It's gotta stink to be a longgggg distance landlord.

Rose, I know that vinyl or ceramic tile would be a good choice. I just can't afford to have vinyl or ceramic put in right now. We had good vinyl in that kitchen before the carpet that is in there now and actually the carpet has faired better for more years. Which I would have never thought to be the case.

The carpet that is in there now is glued down and since I don't have the money to spend on someone to come in and tear out and replace with whatever, I am trying to think of the best way to go to make the place look appealing and fresh. We can purchase the some laminate for $180 in the 120 sq. ft. room and DIY. Hubby says for that price, if it's ruined in a couple years, we'll just tear out and and redo.

Still thinking...........and thanks everyone for input.......

haypoint · #20 11/11/06, 06:00 PM

Nix on the laminate floor. I've had some bad experiences with renters and if you intend on being in that business, your house has to be nearly bomb proof. I was in a home recently where they put laminate floor in a bathroom. Withing the first month, the renter had let the shower curtain hang out and the water got into the laminate floor and ruined it. I have seen laminate floor in other homes that look great and stant a regular cleaning with a damp mop. Some laminates are better than others, of course.
Generally renters have never owned a home and don't understand your huge investment and aren't concerned in preserving it. I had a guy cut a hole in the garage wall to run a stove pipe so he could install a wood heater and work on his boat in the winter, without asking. Had a gal set a hot iron on a glass top kitchen table. When they moved out she ordered a new glass but I had to pick it up. She said it was paid for but wasn't, then I found it was cut too small (her measurements). Charged a 600 gal. tank of propane, used it and left. I discovered that the Propane Company can put a lein on my property if that bill didn't get paid. All this discovered after i handed out their security deposit.
Just put down a cheap vinyl flooring and expect to rip it out when they leave.