Flooring Issues; to sand or lay new boards? Laminate?

BeckyJH

We just bought a little flat in London as a renovation project to let, it needed completely gutting and we have been extremely lucky with tradesmen giving us excellent advice & wisdom so far, but one thing we seem to get a different answer for each time is the flooring.

If it was my own place I would get the current floor boards sanded and varnished as they are in good condition and it's a period property, but economically I realise this might not be the best option, escaping heat, drafts not to mention the labour intensive job itself.
I think I'm leaning to a hard wearing laminate in the hall/bedroom/living room and tiles in the kitchen/bathroom.

Can anyone offer any advice on this?

Thanks so much,

Becky

scottishblondie

Tenants may not take care of a wooden floor as an owner would, and as you say preparing and varnishing it will take some effort. I'd put down something to protect the original floorboards and then lay laminate, with tiles in the kitchen and bathroom.

That way you preserve the original boards as a period feature for the future, but have a top surface that will be harder wearing in a rented property.

nickj_2

i would have thought the cost of buying new laminate and getting someone in to lay it wouldn't be a million miles off the cost of stripping and re varnishing,if you want a decent laminate floor then you'd have to spend a fair bit gaps etc can be filled in to stop draughts and this will look better . however , as always it depends on costs , and how long you think you will be living there , if it's not long term , i would put down cheap laminate

James_Lahey

Laminate is cheap and cheerful but easily damaged by spills etc. Ours was subject to a leaky pipe last year and has opened up at the joints - anything underneath would also be subject to damage (luckily in our case it was concrete.)

The name escapes me now but I've seen (posted here) a wood/stone effect floor covering which looks better than laminate but is similar to "lino." Someone here might be able to point you in the right direction?