New floors - recommendations?

[zoebartlett]

Due to a big construction project going on at the condo we own but are renting out, we need to replace the floor. This floor, whatever we install, will cover the kitchen, living room, and the hallway leading to the bathroom. The whole condo is just over 1,000 square feet, but we're not putting new floors in the 2 bedrooms. The bedrooms have wall to wall carpet.

Currently, a light colored wood laminate is in there now. It actually looks really nice even though it's not real wood. It's more cost-effective though.

I've thought about real hard wood and ceramic tile that looks like hard wood, but I'm not sure what the best option is. We'll eventually sell this condo, so what would get us the most in resale value? Hard wood? We're not sure we want to deal with ripping off all the baseboards in order to install it. Plus, the unit is on a concrete slab. Ceramic tile sounds like an interesting option but it's pricey and it might be hard on someone's feet and legs.

What would you recommend? We're not doing the work ourselves. We have a company who is going to rip out the current floor, find the source of the problem our tenant is having (bubbling under the laminate), and install the new product.

TIA for recommendations!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Why not just replace It with the same product? Or, if possible, just replace the damaged area if you can get matching product. (Unless there is a reason you don't want to use that same flooring material again?)

If you do want to go the wood route (which I think is generally more attractive to buyers) a prefinished version may not be any thicker than the laminate, so you wouldn't have to take off the baseboards. I haven't priced prefinished vs. laminate lately, but last time I did the $ differences wasn't prohibitive either.

 

[zoebartlett]

Dee*Jay, our association will pay to have new wood laminate installed. They're paying for the whole project. I was just thinking that since it will all need to be ripped up (it's not an option to rip up just a portion -- water damage is throughout), maybe we could upgrade to real wood. We'd pay the difference. Personally, I actually don't mind wood laminate (I prefer to it to wall to wall carpeting at least), but I do like the look of real hard wood better. The product that's in their now is light colored, and it looks good but it has a bit of a plastic feel to it. Plus, wouldn't real wood be the best choice for resale value of the condo? I'm not looking to spend a ton of money on this project (especially since one of the options wouldn't cost us anything), but we're willing to put some money into it if it will eventually help with resale value. My husband's concerned with installing real wood on the concrete slab and with needing to rip out the baseboards to fit the thicker wood floor.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Zoe, find out what the difference in height would be (if any) between the laminate and prefinished wood. I'm not sure what subfloor you have under the laminate but take into consideration any additional subfloor that may be needed for wood.

Regarding resale, yes *in general* I find buyers to prefer wood over laminate. That being said, there is a price point differential and I'm not sure where your unit falls. At a certain level people are just happy to have any sort of wood(ish) flooring versus carpet, and at a different level people wouldn't accept a laminate product versus wood, so I'm sorry not to have better guidance for you on that front in the absence of more info (and I'm not asking--I just want to give a general statement that might be useful in your evaluation process).

 

[sarahb]

The tile is definitely hard on your legs & feet. I've had both, currently all hardwood throughout in this house. Wood is my preference.

But with the tile, although pretty, by the end of the day, my legs & feet would hurt & I was not heavy--so weight was not a factor. Had to wear supportive shoes, ie tennis shoes during the day. I really did not like it.

IMHO, nothing is more functional than hardwood. Good luck with your decision--opinions are a dime a dozen
sarahb

 

[aviastar]

I also, prefer one of the wood-ish options for the comfort of the sub or floating floor aspect to help with the concrete. While real hardwood is always my first choice, we've been looking at the snap together tiles that look like hardwood for a commercial space renovation (better warranty and cheaper!) and I think that's where we are going to end up. It's a floating floor, so you have the extra cushion, the products available today look better than previous laminate offerings, although I do find the darker colors to have less 'plastic' appearance than the lighter colors. And it's running about $7/sq. ft. installed.

But the free option is really tempting...

 

[AprilBaby]

Not sure the last time your laminate was done but I had the entire house done last year except for the bathrooms which is not recommended. My friends all think it is wood. It doesn't scratch, it doesn't fade, has a 25 year transferable warranty and is easy to clean. Great for pets and kids. Maybe try a little darker color?

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks for the suggestions! Since I posted earlier, I've ruled out the tile option. I just don't think it's really practical from a comfort standpoint.

April, the wood laminate was installed in the fall of 2009. I love the look of dark wood floors but we'll go with a light color. The space is pretty small (the area we're covering is less than 1,000 square feet), and I think the light shade helps make it look larger. The brand that's in there now isn't available anymore but I think it's very similar to the one linked below.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bruce-Madison-Oak-Natural-7mm-Thick-x-7-898-in-Wide-x-54-331-in-Length-Laminate-Flooring-28-67-sq-ft-case-L0006/203584611?N=1z12x7p#.Ue7Fao36OPs..

Dee*Jay, thanks! I know what you mean about some people being okay with wood(ish) products over wall to wall carpet, while others only want real hard wood. There was wall to wall carpeting in there when we moved in, and although we didn't like it, we never replaced it. This condo is in a garden style building. It's not a super high-end townhouse but it's in a nice development. Part of me thinks that installing real wood might be overdoing it, but I'm really not sure. We'll look into pre-finished planks, too.

Aviastar, I need to price engineered and snap together tiles. I agree, the free option is very tempting. I guess it just comes down to the price of the other options and see whether we'd like to put any of our own money into this project.

 

[aljdewey]

I'm glad to hear you've ruled out tile becuase in this neck of the woods, it gets mighty cold in the winter. That would have ruled it out for me.

My personal default would be to choose real wood for several reasons. I prefer it; I think it will attract a wider resale audience; and I think it adds not just actual value but potential emotional value (perception of being upscale) for potential buyers. Also, I don't think the baseboard issue would be a deal-breaker for me; we had hardwood put into our second floor a year or two ago, and the floor installer marked the baseboard pieces and put them back into place once he laid down the new floors.

I'd also factor in what your timeline is for selling the unit. If your loose plan is to sell in the longer-term range and could potentially have several more renters prior to sale, it may not make sense to bother with real wood since most renters aren't especially gentle on non-owned property. If you plan to sell in the shorter term, I'd be more inclined to stick to real wood as well since it won't get too abused prior to sale.