We’ve started most renovations with the goal of enhancing the original features of the house. When we bought our CD triplex, we could not stand the laminate in the hallway and bedrooms. Most of the apartment had hardwood, and the poor quality of the laminate stuck out. A few years ago, my husband and I pulled back an edge and saw that the hardwoods continued (of course they did), but there had to be a reason why the laminate was down. We knew we’d refinish the hardwood at some point, the question was when.
Well, the answer is… not quite yet. We’ve decided to cover it up. Here are a few reasons why we are covering up our hardwood with luxury vinyl planks (LVP).
The first reason is… we aren’t going to live here anymore. That sounds terrible, but why put all the effort into restoring the floors, when they risk further damage from renters? And by restore, this will not be a simple sand-and-finish project. Many of these boards are damaged – there are splits, knicks, and larger chunks missing. Most likely many boards will need to be replaced. That is a lot of effort for something that we can’t even enjoy.
We will eventually refinish the floors. My husband and I have discussed moving back into this apartment when our son is out of the house and we want to downsize. Our rental income covers our expenses, so this would be a lower-cost place to live if we don’t need a ton of space. We can save the refinishing project for 15+ years down the road, should we chose to move back.
Floor with vinyl sample. Ideally, we’d like a lighter finish that more closely matches the original floors, but that might not be possible with current supply chain issues.
The next reason is soundproofing. My husband thinks I’m overly obsessed with soundproofing. However, many times when I am showing our other apartments, prospective tenants cite sound transfer as the reason why the are moving, and it’s always one of the first questions they ask. This doesn’t impact this unit per se, but it greatly impacts the Airbnb below it. We are transparent about noise in our listing, but we’ve recently had guests comment on the noise in reviews. One even left early! I am usually very careful not to walk around too much in the morning, but my two year old is not. We cannot guarantee that our future tenants will be as respectful as us. If we want to keep renting the basement as an Airbnb, we need to limit the impact noise. Luxury vinyl planks with a rubber underlayment will do just that.
Finally, we want to improve the durability of these floors to reduce maintenance down the road. We know from experience that the laminate does not hold up. In the CD, we had water damage that caused bulging, and in Union Hill we caused some knicks during construction. Vinyl is much more durable. We want to be able to set it and forget it for several years.
LVP vs. hardwood in a rental: how we compared them
If you’re facing the same decision, here’s how the two options stacked up for us as landlords.
Cost Refinishing our hardwood wasn’t a straightforward job — boards were split, chipped, and missing chunks. Our realistic cost with board replacement was $10,000+ for one apartment. LVP with underlayment came in well under that, and we could install it ourselves.
Durability We’ve had laminate buckle from water damage in the CD and dent/puncture during construction at Union Hill. LVP is waterproof and significantly more impact-resistant than laminate or finished hardwood. For a rental, that matters more than aesthetics.
Soundproofing This was a deciding factor for us. LVP with a quality rubber underlayment meaningfully reduces impact noise between floors. Hardwood with no underlayment transmits all of it. If you have tenants or guests below, this difference is real.
Appearance Modern LVP is convincing. The gap between LVP and hardwood is much smaller than it was five years ago. For a rental, most tenants won’t notice or care.
Resale and long-term value This is where hardwood wins. Refinished original hardwood adds value; LVP does not. We’re covering, not removing; the hardwood stays under the vinyl and can be restored later. If you’re in your forever home, hardwood is worth the investment. If you’re a landlord optimizing for durability and cost, LVP is the practical choice.
We are hoping to finish this project before February (while we are living here, yikes!). Pending material delays, it should be possible.
Old laminate coming up!
