# Need advice on fixing up rental house- first: replace flooring **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 13, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026 "2016-02-13T16:41:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/21 "2016-02-14T00:49:48Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > NEVER carpet for a rental. Too much wear and tear and they have to be replaced too often. As I mentioned: a halfway decent berber is nearly indestructible. Our last house had it when we moved in, and we replaced it eleven years later only because we were selling and it was out of style. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/22 "2016-02-14T01:28:24Z")
With pets NO wall-to-wall carpeting EVER-- whether you rent or own. This is 40 years of cat/dog poop/pee speaking. Once they go on the carpeting (and they WILL go), it’s all over. I have a giant area rug where I live now over 1930’s hardwood floors. After my Cleo (cat) died, I sent it out to be cleaned. After I left Sweetie (dog) in all day while I was at jury dugy–had it cleaned again. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/23 "2016-02-14T05:01:50Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Cabinets today are typically particle board boxes… Cheap ones are. Good cabinets frames today are plywood with veneer on exposed surfaces. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/24 "2016-02-14T06:34:13Z")
I’d first work on the plumbing and electrical especially if your going to be tearing into the walls and floors anyways. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/25 "2016-02-14T06:44:26Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Whatever you do, stay away from carpet tiles. Please tell me more. I see them recommended for the patterns you can make, and for swapping one out when an accident happens. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/26 "2016-02-14T11:58:58Z")
You sure the walk in cedar closet off the kitchen isn’t a pantry? Maybe it could be? Wishing you good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/27 "2016-02-14T12:48:43Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Please tell me more. I see them recommended for the patterns you can make, and for swapping one out when an accident happens. I actually like them. You really only need to glue them down in high traffic areas. we put them in offices. Yes, you can have some cool patterns plus if one square goes bad, just pull it up and put down a new one. I’ve drug furniture (carefully) across them and moved stuff with dollys over them and they didn’t move. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/28 "2016-02-14T14:14:07Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Please tell me more. I see them recommended for the patterns you can make, and for swapping one out when an accident happens. Perhaps the quality has improved over the years. The biggest problem is that old patterns are mothballed and you can’t find replacement tiles. This can be remedied somewhat by buying extra when it’s installed. But they’re really designed for office use. In a home, they look tacky, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/29 "2016-02-14T14:20:58Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > You sure the walk in cedar closet off the kitchen isn’t a pantry? Maybe it could be? > > Wishing you good luck! It probably is a pantry. It is wood-paneled with real wood, but I doubt if it’s cedar. When I get to my computer, I’m going to post a few pictures. I don’t think the kitchen cupboards have any veneer. They look like wood, too. And not plywood. More later. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/30 "2016-02-14T15:44:05Z")
> [@ddsun](#): > > I hate linoleum with the red hot passion of a thousand suns. Me too. I was a bit horrified that This Old House magazine was pushing it in 2015. OTOH, they also had an article about wallpaper too :eek: If cost is the biggest factor, I’d much rather see any of [these $1.17/sq ft vinyl options](http://www.homedepot.com/b/Flooring-Vinyl-Flooring-Resilient-Flooring-Sheet-Vinyl/N-5yc1vZar9y?Ns=P_REP_PRC_MODE%7C0) than any linoleum. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/31 "2016-02-14T17:40:34Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Me too. I was a bit horrified that This Old House magazine was pushing it in 2015. OTOH, they also had an article about wallpaper too :eek: > > If cost is the biggest factor, I’d much rather see any of [these $1.17/sq ft vinyl options](http://www.homedepot.com/b/Flooring-Vinyl-Flooring-Resilient-Flooring-Sheet-Vinyl/N-5yc1vZar9y?Ns=P_REP_PRC_MODE%7C0) than any linoleum. If you look at some of the linoleum sites, it doesn’t look that bad. This isn’t your grandmother’s linoleum. That said, sheet vinyl might be better. Here are some pictures: [Living room.](http://tinyurl.com/gs57j82)The people had plastic over all the windows in the house, then cardboard, then curtains, then heavier curtains over those… thumbtacked along the side of the windows. What were they doing in there? [Two views of the bathroom](http://tinyurl.com/j2cnhft), [second view](http://tinyurl.com/zm6bujb)– alas, only one bathroom in the house and no room to add one. The closet that would be the likely space to steal is teeny-tiny. [Paneled kitchen closet.](http://tinyurl.com/jyygkgc) For some reason I didn’t take any pictures of the kitchen at all. I’ll go get some today. Suggestions for countertops welcome. Obviously, no granite. For those just joining who may not have read the whole thread, especially if you live where it snows and houses typically have basements: this is an 850 sq ft house in South Texas built in 1958 and sitting on a concrete slab. It is the simplest of simple houses. Picture something like a beach house-- small, minimalist, no frills, but fairly sturdy, given its age. I’m not going to make this sow’s ear into a silk purse. I want it to be a plain, tasteful, tidy, cute WYSIWYG sow’s ear. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/32 "2016-02-14T18:33:39Z")
In a rental, I’d just go with Formica and forget about anything more expensive. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/33 "2016-02-14T19:20:24Z")
Bath looks like a mess - full replacemeant? I would have the bath carefully inspected for water damage - ther appear to be a lot of poor patches. Tub is probably cast iron and could be refinished if you don’t want to replace. New tile or surround for tub looks very likely so a one piece tub unit might be most effective. Plastic coated wire shelves would make for a nice, inexpensive kitchen pantry. Looks like a fair amount of wallboard & paint work then new moldings in the LR (and probably the rest of the house). ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/34 "2016-02-14T19:54:06Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > In a rental, I’d just go with Formica and forget about anything more expensive. _I_ live in a rental and I very much appreciate my (architect) landlord’s attention to quality. Like I’ve said: not a silk purse, but a very nice sow’s ear. Formica would be good and would fit with the era of the house, too. > [@jasg](#): > > Bath looks like a mess - full replacemeant? \… Looks like full replacement of the tub area anyway. And I hope the plumbing sitch doesn’t turn into a nightmare, but I’m not hopeful. Interestingly, there’s a brand new toilet–one of those that gives you the option of a light flush or a heavy flush. I think the tenant worked at Home Depot, so he probably put that in himself. What do y’all think about the bathroom sink? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/35 "2016-02-14T19:57:37Z")
The tiling in the bathroom looks horrid. Replace it with white tiles that extend well beyond the bath. With regard to pets, it’s common here to specify ‘No pets’ as part of the letting agreement. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/36 "2016-02-14T20:02:27Z")
Here are some closups of the kitchen cabinets. I believe anything I would replace them with would be much poorer quality than these. Please ignore the FILTH! Tell me what material you see. Plywood? [Cabinet Closeup1](http://tinyurl.com/zwannqh) [Cabinet Closeup2](http://tinyurl.com/zsjxgu6) [Long Cabinet](http://tinyurl.com/hwv5tmd) [Closeup of paneled “pantry”](http://tinyurl.com/jf9mu3j) Here is a [section](http://tinyurl.com/zlx4v47)of cabinets/cupboard next to where the stove would go. I can’t figure out what that opening is for. I don’t see any holes where hinges might have been, nor any indication that there were ever shelves inside. What would have gone in there? That colored thing in the bottom is a velvet throw (no, no picture of Elvis). ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/37 "2016-02-14T20:04:44Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > The tiling in the bathroom looks horrid. Replace it with white tiles that extend well beyond the bath. Yeah, pretty grim. I’m embarrassed that I actually collected rent for this ungodly dump. > [@](#): > > With regard to pets, it’s common here to specify ‘No pets’ as part of the letting agreement. It’s common here, too. But like pets, and I like people who like and have pets. There’s a big fenced back yard. I’m okay with pets. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/38 "2016-02-14T20:24:13Z")
The cabinets are ugly, but they seem to be in good shape. However, I have to wonder about the cost of having them stripped and repainted, or sanded and repainted vs. replacing them. As for the big opening in the base cabinet - I’d put in a shelf and a door, but open, it’s a good place for a garbage can or a recycle bin - convenient but not taking up floor space. Especially if a slide out shelf was installed in the bottom. With better shelving, that pantry could be a really useful space. The paneling doesn’t look like cedar to me - just stained wood. As for all the window coverings - maybe the tenants were part of a tin foil hat brigade?? If the house was located farther north, I’d say it was poorly insulated windows, but being south Texas, I’m more inclined to wonder about paranoia. In my younger days, I’d be itching to do a project like that house - I loved DIY around the house. But now I’m trying to decide how long I can get away without repainting the walls in this house, and painting is relatively simple. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/39 "2016-02-14T21:22:13Z")
You really need to decide if you are selling or renting. It’s two completely different approaches. If you’re selling, and hiring our all the work, I would just clean it up and put it on the market,rather than put low grade materials in it that a future rehabber is just going to tear out. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026/40 "2016-02-14T21:30:22Z")
She did decide; the thread title and OP describe the house as a rental. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-on-fixing-up-rental-house-first-replace-flooring/746026.md?page=3)