Carpet or Laminate wood for my rental flat

dominoman

I have a 2 bed flat that I now rent out after moving in with my girlfriend (now wife).

The carpet in the open plan lounge / dining room is old and the tenant has asked me to replace it, which I want to do as he is a good tenant and I'd like to keep him happy.

Should I go for carpet or laminate? or maybe tiles? I want it to look good, but also be long lasting so I don't have to replace it again in the near future.

If I go for laminate does anyone have a recommendation on where to buy it? Is B&Q OK?

rosie383

If it's an upstairs flat then don't go for laminate. Be nice to those who have to live underneath!

dominoman

rosie383 wrote: »

If it's an upstairs flat then don't go for laminate. Be nice to those who have to live underneath!

Luckily it's a 2 floor flat, with the kitchen & living room upstairs and the 2 bedrooms & bathroom on the floor below. So noise isn't an issue in this case as it wouldn't affect anyone else.

arbrighton

Is it leasehold or freehold? Maybe conditions in the lease if the former.

dominoman

Good point. I will check the lease when I get home. I suspect it isn't an issue as the neighbouring flats all have wood floors.

HappyMJ

dominoman wrote: »

I have a 2 bed flat that I now rent out after moving in with my girlfriend (now wife).

The carpet in the open plan lounge / dining room is old and the tenant has asked me to replace it, which I want to do as he is a good tenant and I'd like to keep him happy.

Should I go for carpet or laminate? or maybe tiles? I want it to look good, but also be long lasting so I don't have to replace it again in the near future.

If I go for laminate does anyone have a recommendation on where to buy it? Is B&Q OK?

Carpet is very cheap but needs replacing every few years.

I would install laminate flooring with a noise barrier such as foam underneath it to reduce the noise. I live in a 1st floor flat with neighbours above and below who all have laminate flooring and it's very rare to hear anyone.

I hear people through the flat's front door on the landing talking more often than I hear the neighbours walking on the laminate. We have carpet on the landing.

It's more of a thud thud thud sound which as heavy footed as they sometimes sound...usually on a Saturday night after a few drinks...I think I would hear it even if they had carpet.

Laminate is more expensive to install but doesn't require replacement anywhere near as often as carpet so it should last much longer. There is no need to go for the most expensive laminate but don't go for the cheapest. It's got to handle being used.

shifty27

HappyMJ wrote: »

Carpet is very cheap but needs replacing every few years.

I would install laminate flooring with a noise barrier such as foam underneath it to reduce the noise. I live in a 1st floor flat with neighbours above and below who all have laminate flooring and it's very rare to hear anyone.

I hear people through the flat's front door on the landing talking more often than I hear the neighbours walking on the laminate. We have carpet on the landing.

It's more of a thud thud thud sound which as heavy footed as they sometimes sound...usually on a Saturday night after a few drinks...I think I would hear it even if they had carpet.

Laminate is more expensive to install but doesn't require replacement anywhere near as often as carpet so it should last much longer. There is no need to go for the most expensive laminate but don't go for the cheapest. It's got to handle being used.

I found myself in agreement with a lot said here.

Have a look at the largest stores for laminate flooring - i.e wickes, b&q & homebase and then see the flooring in person then go with what you think is best.

DTDfanBoy

If you have a tenant you want to keep happy surely it would be wise to consult with your tenant, personally I'd hate either laminate or tilling in my lounge

HappyMJ

DTDfanBoy wrote: »

If you have a tenant you want to keep happy surely it would be wise to consult with your tenant, personally I'd hate either laminate or tilling in my lounge

A tenant can always put down rugs. We have a rug in the lounge.

boliston

If you ever look at a show flat then there is about a 95% chance that it will have something like amtico (a good quality laminate) or kahrs/junckers (engineered/solid wood) if it's more upmarket. It is very rare to see flats advertised with wall to wall carpet anymore so this must give a guide to what people want. I can't remember the last time I lived in a carpeted property and could not see myself wanting to go back to one.

Paradigm

If it's rented out then surely whatever is cheapest.....