Wooden look floors from Mitre 10???

[Bongi]

Hi. I am currently undecided as to what to use on a rental kitchen floor. I have asked my builder to put those thin wooden look floors (tongue and groove I believe) fom Mitre 10 or Bunnings (cost ranges from $35-$60 for around 1.5 sq metres). They seem very hard wearing. Has anyone used this before and would like to pass some comments? Are these any good for long term?? I searched the forum for these wooden look floor boards with no success.
The option I have is the heavy duty vinyl. Costs I believe are very similar.

[rueben]

I would go for vinyl. Vinyl is harder wearing and if they flood the sink the vinyl won't swell like the wood will.

[Aston]

Are these any good for long term??

For my own house, I would only consider the product that has a veneer of real timber and a plywwod backing, but this product is quite expensive.

Most of the cheaper ones have a very thin plastic veneer with an MDF backing, this product is not suitable for a rental because it scratches easily and as Rueben says it swells and turns to weet bix when it gets wet.

[Wayne]

For my own house, I would only consider the product that has a veneer of real timber and a plywwod backing, but this product is quite expensive.

Most of the cheaper ones have a very thin plastic veneer with an MDF backing, this product is not suitable for a rental because it scratches easily and as Rueben says it swells and turns to weet bix when it gets wet.

and knives, when dropped, cut the thin vinyl and allow water into the substrate (MDF).

[WBuffett]

The veneer with mdf backing, comment above was correct, not suitable for a rental with the wear and tear, will be destroyed, the timber veneer with palm wood or coconut wood backing (ie softwood) I would never use it either, it used to be quite expensive but a lot cheaper now as its not really the premium product it was initally marketed to be, the plywood backing no experience of it but of the semi-fake timber flooring it sounds like the best option stability and wear and tear wise.
But personally if going to go for a timber floor get a real hardwood timber floor that will last for decades, ie solid timber no veneers/backing timbers/strips etc ..but its not cost effective to put in a rental unless it commands a very very high return or you eventually want to live in it.
Best to stick with vinal I would have thought cost and wear & tear wise. And they can look great too.

Saying that the mitre 10 type product can be great if you want to quickly do up a place to make it look semi-flash without too much effort & cost, then flog it off without having a chance to use/damage it.

[Wayne]

I don't agree re the solid timber floor. The good quality 'veneer' types have great stability due to the laminated nature. Wear wise the most you can sand and recoat a solid timber floor is down to the tongue and this is a similar thickness as the laminated variety (I am talking about the flooring with a 4-6mm top show layer).

[Rolf]

I would choose tiles any day. Have put them in all rentals and they practically never wear out. Looks awesome too.

[Wayne]

I would choose tiles any day. Have put them in all rentals and they practically never wear out. Looks awesome too.

I hate tiles - they are cold and things break when dropped on them but that wouldn't be my glasses in a rental

[WBuffett]

I hate tiles - they are cold and things break when dropped on them but that wouldn't be my glasses in a rental

They are annoying when they get wet in the bathroom and you slip on them and crack your head, bleeding like a stuck pig all over the place, but easy to clean up at least, if only I had watched that ACC advert more carefully

[Cassandra]

If lino - go commercial grade- usually quite plain and unpatterened but the colour pigment typically is through the depth of the vinyl and if its cut or torn it will not show an obvious white vinyl under the veneer colour layer. I hate tiles for home for the reasons Wayne gave - very cold underfoot and its unforgiving if glassware is accidentally dropped on it.

Having said that ive brightend up a couple of dark kitchens in rentals with beige/cream tiles. The effect has been fantastic for lightening & freshening up the decor and after a few years now they look as good as new in a property rented by a family of 6 including 3 primary school aged boys. (A good test of wear & tear!) From my recall the tiles competed against the cost of lino. Make sure your tiler is skilful and a slate base is laid underneath particle board or wooden floors for a flat rigid surface and that tiles are well sealed

[Rolf]

I hate tiles - they are cold and things break when dropped on them but that wouldn't be my glasses in a rental

If things actually don't break when dropped it's only because the floor material itself absorbs the impact, which is fine on carpet but probably not very nice on that new wooden floor...

As for cold, sure if the property itself is not heated properly, but have never had any complaints from tenants. All seem to love the look, and it certainly attracts a higher rent too.
Of course don't use the plain 'hospital-looking' tiles, they get slippery and look very dated. There are many nice textured tiles and they are cheap and easy to install.

For the PPOR we did put underfloor heating under the tiles, its magical. And the cat loves it (he has the final word of course).
It does come with unforeseen expenses though: Had to install an electronic cat flap because the neighbours cat found out too...!