From the Ground Up: Designing an Property with Renter-Friendly Floors

If you own a rental property finding flooring can be a bit of challenge. When getting flooring that will prevent being damaged done by tenants is likely one of your main concerns when decorating. Designing an apartment or home with flooring that resists wear and tear, repels stains, and suits all design sensibilities can seem like a massive challenge, but with a few tips and tricks, it can actually be quite simple.

Defensive Design
Your first and foremost concern is to install something that will stand up to spills, scuffs and extensive use like Luxury Vinyls. Something beautiful or decorative that looks more expensive and flashy, but it won?t necessarily hold up and can look dingy and need replacing much more quickly. For kitchens, laminate wood flooring looks elegant but lasts much longer than actual wood floors for a fraction of the price. You?ll also have an easier time matching new flooring in case of repairs if it?s a produced laminate, because real hardwood can change tone over time and be harder to find a match for. For bedrooms, hallways and other carpeted areas, short pile carpets are the most forgiving. The carpets don?t need to be low quality to be cost effective, and in fact investing a better quality carpets that will stand up to cleaning over time is in your financial best interest. Keeping the property clean and well maintained will help you guarantee tenants paying their rent, and avoiding deposit disputes down the line





Smart Shopping
If you?re planning to fit out an entire property, you have the opportunity to design flooring that matches throughout and is professionally installed to a high standard. To install flooring, a property will need to be largely empty so it?s best to plan major renovations between tenants with at least a few weeks to complete the whole process.


Cautious Colors
Choosing colors can be a fun way to express your design sense, but for rental properties it?s best to stick to neutral tones to appeal to the broadest array of tenants. For carpets, dark beige and multi colors not only hides stains, but it will also match walls and furniture of almost any tone and style. For tiles and grout, choosing an off-white tone is another way to avoid simple stains turning into expensive repair projects. When painting baseboards and other framing elements, using white is the best option. Not only will it compliment most tones and styles, it?s easier to paint over a stain with white than with a less subtle color that can be hard to match.

While flooring might be the least considered element of a property?s decorations, it is the most used and care should be taken to make sure it is elegant, durable, and well suited to the property. There are many options for style, budget, and scale available, so if you?re decorating a property to rent, finding the right flooring doesn?t have to be difficult.