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The Best Flooring for Flipping Houses

So you’re wanting to get into the house flipping game. Maybe a friend of yours has made money flipping houses, or maybe you’ve been watching a ton of reality television; whatever your reasons, you’re ready to test your eye for design and start finding homes to flip. However, what is the best flooring for flipping houses? 

Finding the best flooring for your home is crucial. Finding the best flooring for house flipping is even more crucial because you’re ready to sell as soon as the grout dries on the backsplash. House flipping is a game of both time and money, so we’re going to help you make some decisions.

You’ve read all the “how to flip a house” articles on the internet, but those don’t cover flooring. The truth is picking out the best flooring for your house flip is crucial. Luckily, we have an expert.

To find out more about flipping houses, I talked to professional house flipper Courtney Greger. She has a great series called My Flipping Job and is an expert in the house flipping game.

Let’s get started!

What is House Flipping?

Hint: It’s not what happens in The Wizard of Oz. Flipping houses is when a person buys a house at (usually) an affordable as-is price and then, through remodeling, improves the overall house. The goal is to resell the property and have a high ROI, or Return on Investment.

Related content >> Temporary Flooring for Renters

Is House Flipping Ethical?

The Best Flooring for Flipping Houses- Want a great ROI? Choose a flooring that looks beautiful and earns you a great return.

Yes! Flipping houses isn’t merely putting a feel-good look on a house in order to trick house-hunters into purchasing something of little value. An ethical house flip means investors purchasing quality products and installing them correctly and safely for a future buyer. The house value should go up, not down!

Related Content >> Real Estate iBuyers Guide

What is the Best Flooring for Flipping Houses?

Well, that depends on a lot of things. There are A LOT of questions to consider before choosing a flooring, but let me break it down a bit for you.

  • What neighborhood is the house in?: This may not seem important, but it is! If the average market price of your neighborhood is, say, $200,000, investing a ton of money into the flip and trying to sell your remodeled house for $300,000 might be near impossible.
  • What is your market-value goal?: Like before, find reasonable expectations for the market-value of your purchased flip. What do you hope to resell it for? That will help determine what flooring you want to invest in.
  • What is your budget?: The thing about flipping is the more you spend, the less ROI you might get. You want to establish a budget and look for flooring that falls within it. It might be worth it to splurge on flooring, though. More on that later!
  • What rooms do you plan on flipping?: Realtors say the two most important rooms for buyers are the kitchen and the bathrooms. Think about it, when you start a house tour where does it start and end? Usually in the kitchen. If you can’t afford to flip the whole house and want to focus on two places, those might be the best places to start.

What Our Expert Says:

In a lower priced home, the new laminate floorings are great, and you really get to upgrade visually with them. In houses with a resell range of 200k-500k a  hardwood looking tile, or modern tile, is great. Anything above 500k probably needs hardwood.

The Best Flooring for Flipping Houses: Options

Since you’ve already answered all of the important questions, let’s look at some flooring.

Related content >>The Best Flooring for Resale

Hardwood Floors for House Flipping

bamboo flooring for house flipping

Does your flip already have hardwood? Is there hardwood hidden underneath the carpet? If so, you struck a gold mine! Everyone wants hardwood in their home. If you have it already, even better. Your best bet would be the sand and refinish the hardwood to make it beautiful again.

If you don’t have hardwood, is it worth it to invest in it? Maybe.

Whether or not you want to buy hardwood for your house flip depends on the answers above. The truth is, hardwood will always raise the value of your flip and will make buyers more keen to make an offer; however, hardwood flooring is expensive.

If your budget doesn’t allow for it, or if hardwood floors are uncommon in the area you are flipping, it may not be worth the investment.

Cost of Hardwood Flooring

For your convenience, I did some math for you. Hardwood flooring comes in a range of prices depending on the species of wood and thickness, so I lowballed the number a bit with $8.00 a square foot. Keep in mind, this does not include installation cost, but it will give you an idea of what fits into your budget.

Average Cost by Sqft

500 sqft

1000 sqft

2000 sqft
$8.00 $4,000 $8,000 $16,000

Related content >>Wood Flooring Trends

Carpet for House Flipping

The Best Flooring for Flipping Houses- Want a great ROI? Choose a flooring that looks beautiful and earns you a great return.

Related content >>Carpet Trends

Carpet is a big no-no in the house flipping world. Adding carpet to a flipped house probably won’t increase your ROI. Truth is, not a lot of people want carpets in their houses anymore. Those buyers that are going to view your flip? Yeah, they’re just thinking about how much it will cost to rip-out your brand new carpet and replace it with something else. Pity.

However, replacing old carpet with new carpet is always better than leaving the old carpet in place. If you can’t afford to upgrade the flooring to something other than carpet, at least replace it and you’ll break even

An exception is bedrooms. Bedrooms are still a popular place for carpet flooring. If you do want to put carpet in a house flip, stick to the bedrooms.

Cost of Carpet

If you’d like to know more about the cost of installing carpet, take a look at our Carpet Installation Cost Guide.

Average Cost by Sqft

500 sqft

1000 sqft

2000 sqft

$2.00 $1,000 $2,000 $4,000

SHOP CARPET

Engineered Wood Floors for House Flipping

The Best Flooring for Flipping Houses- Want a great ROI? Choose a flooring that looks beautiful and earns you a great return.

If you have the budget for it, engineered wood is great for a house flip. It has a high-end hardwood look because it is real wood! Engineered wood is constructed in layers to offer more durability and moisture resistance. These floors won’t have potential buyers daydreaming about ripping up your floors.

It is often more expensive than say, laminate, so it might be best to choose this for higher-value houses to make sure you earn a good ROI.

Cost of Engineered Wood Flooring

Engineered wood flooring also has a range of prices. You can find engineered wood flooring as low as $2.72 and as high as over $10.00. Of course, price and quality tend to go hand in hand. Here, I’ve averaged the price to $6.00 a sqft.

Average Cost by Sqft

500 sqft

1000 sqft

2000 sqft

$6.00 $3,000 $6,000 $12,000

SHOP ENGINEERED WOOD

Laminate for House Flipping

The Best Flooring for Flipping Houses- Want a great ROI? Choose a flooring that looks beautiful and earns you a great return.

Laminate is very popular among experienced house flippers. One reason being it gives houses an expensive look without the expensive investment. Laminate can also come in a variety of looks, so the choice is yours (though we would recommend more neutral colors if flipping).

Laminate is a great choice if you have a lower budget but still want a good ROI when you sell.

Related content >> Laminate Flooring Buying Guide

Cost of Laminate Flooring

Laminate is one of the most affordable types of flooring on the market. It’s great for getting you a high ROI. It looks beautiful, and it’s cheap flooring.

Average Cost by Sqft

500 sqft

1000 sqft

2000 sqft

$2.50 $3,000 $1,250 $5,000

SHOP LAMINATE

Vinyl Floors for House Flipping

Vinyl flooring has been around for a long time, but that doesn’t mean it’s dated! With the different types of vinyl flooring, there’s a world of possibility for you to play with to get the style you’re looking for. You want super-simple installation and gorgeous patterns, try peel and stick vinyl tiles. Maybe you want wood, stone, or ceramic looks without breaking the bank? Vinyl Sheets. Perhaps you’re looking for waterproof floors, that’s where luxury vinyl flooring comes in!

Regardless of the type of vinyl, your flipped floors will look like a work of art!

Luxury Vinyl Floors

wood-look waterproof vinyl flooring

Luxury vinyl flooring is the flooring of choice for experienced flippers. While laminate is still popular for flipping, high-end vinyl flooring has more perks at close to the same price. You can buy vinyl flooring in planks, tiles, or sheets, so you can control the look of your flip easily. High-end vinyl flooring also comes in a variety of finishes including wood look-alikes and natural stone.

Additionally, you can buy WPC or SPC vinyl flooring, which are 100% waterproof. This makes it a great choice for continual flooring from the living room to the kitchen. It can even be used in the bathroom!

Vinyl Sheets

Shaw Great Plains 12' wide Vinyl Sheet

For more of a variety in your property, vinyl sheets have you covered. They’re low-maintenance, beautiful, and can be water-resistant while still being affordable. Vinyl sheets have made major upgrades in the quality of the material and aesthetic of the sheet; with some products, you can see dips and where the grout lines would be for a more finished realistic look. With improved looks such as wood, stone, ceramic, and decorative, you can add personality to your flipped property in a snap!

Peel and Stick Vinyl Tiles 

FloorAdorn Self-Adhesive Vinyl Sticker

When you’re flipping houses on a budget, peel and stick vinyl tiles can be your best friend. These tiles are budget-friendly, unique, sturdy and have a simple DIY installation process- just peel it and stick it! Super plus: these tiles are easy to remove. If you need to remove or replace any tiles, you can do so without destroying your subfloor. 

Related content >> Vinyl Flooring Trends

Cost of Vinyl Flooring

The best part of vinyl flooring is that there’s a large range in cost. If you need to save some money, but still want a durable floor, vinyl has your back. You can get luxury vinyl, vinyl sheets and tiles in different sizes. Different options come at different prices, so take a look around to see what works for you.

Average Cost by Sqft

500 sqft

1000 sqft

2000 sqft

$3.00 $1,500 $3,000 $6,000

What Our Expert Says:

People are getting back into vinyl flooring. It’s not like the old stuff. The new, next generation vinyl floors are very cost effetive and are very good with pets, children, and things that drop.

SHOP VINYL

Tile Floors for House Flipping

The Best Flooring for Flipping Houses- Want a great ROI? Choose a flooring that looks beautiful and earns you a great return.

Tile has great versatility for flipping. You can use tile anywhere in the house because it is durable and waterproof. Not only that, some tile mimics the looks of planks, wood, or other stones. It also has a great price-point, with ceramic tile being slightly less expensive than porcelain.

Travertine is a popular look right now in the flipping world, and you can find that both as a porcelain and ceramic tile at a low price-point. This earns you a great ROI.

Cost of Tile Flooring

Pricing for tile flooring can be tricky because there are two main types: porcelain tile and ceramic tile. Porcelain tends to be the more expensive tile, but you can still find it for under $3.00 a sqft if you search.

Average Cost by Sqft

500 sqft

1000 sqft

2000 sqft

$3.50 $1,750 $3,500 $7,000

What Our Expert Says:

Hardwood looking tile floors are attractive and beautiful.

Courtney has wood-look tile floors in her own home!

SHOP TILE

House Flip Tips:

When picking the best flooring for flipping houses, there are a few tips I want to share:

  • Wide-Plank Flooring- Though wide plank flooring is super trendy right now, it tends to yield a lower ROI because it’s more expensive to buy.
  • Finishes- When choosing between a high-gloss finish, or a satin finish, choose the satin. Realtors say a high-gloss finish can turn buyers off.
  • Keep it Neutral- Remember, you need to appeal to the masses when flipping a house. Though you might prefer a cool pattern on your floors, others might not.
  • Spaces: Continuous flooring throughout the living room and kitchen will create the illusion of a bigger house. If you can get the same flooring in both places, go for it.
  • Dark or Light: Light flooring makes a room look larger, but dark flooring can make a room look more luxurious. Choose wisely.

What Our Expert Says:

Let the house speak for itself… pick a color and texture that works with kids and pets if needed, and pay attention to the style of the house and what it needs.

For example, a Spanish style flip needs Spanish style flooring.

Conclusion

The Best Flooring for Flipping Houses- Want a great ROI? Choose a flooring that looks beautiful and earns you a great return.

You’ve answered your questions, you’ve read the descriptions, so you know which is the best flooring for flipping houses.

What is my pick? I believe WPC vinyl is the way to go. It’s a flooring that can look high-end and is also waterproof. Not only that, being able to put it throughout the living area AND the kitchen is a big bonus.

Related content >>What is WPC Vinyl Flooring? Top 10 Things to Make You a WPC Expert

Leftover vinyl can even be used in the bathrooms. This is a big money saver that looks good and offers a great ROI.

Courtney loves hardwood tile in her homes. But remember her advice, you should always go for the floors that match the character of the house.

So go on and find some homes to flip!

What would you choose?

About Our Expert

Courtney Greger has a BS in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo.  She grew up on the East coast and eventually migrated to Arizona in 2004.  Courtney has been a licensed real estate agent in Arizona for 4 years.  She has designed “fix and flip” properties for over 9 years.  Recently, she added her website, Myflippingjob.com where she showcases her renovations.  She also has a YouTube series “My Flipping Job” with 17 episodes and almost 100,000 views.   She has a classic style with an emphasis on comfortable, affordable, renovations that mesh with her clients’ lifestyles.

The Best Flooring for Flipping Houses- Want a great ROI? Choose a flooring that looks beautiful and earns you a great return.

About Kayla Haas

Avatar

Kayla Haas is a Phoenix-based writer, flooring expert, and reading enthusiast. Most of her writing specializes in artificial grass, carpet, and vinyl flooring. Her favorite part of writing is the research. If you’re looking for obscure facts or little-known history about flooring, she’s the person to talk to as she stores them away in hopes of impressing people at parties.

4 Comments on “The Best Flooring for Flipping Houses

  1. I’ve been wanting to get some good vinyl flooring for our home, and I think that being able to get some tips would be nice. I like that you talked about using leftover vinyl in the bathrooms, which I think would be good because it’s pretty waterproof! I’m going to have to look into some different waterproof flooring options and see if we can find the right vinyl!

  2. It’s good to know more about the best types of flooring. I don’t want to flip my house to sell it, but I do want to add value to it. If adding hardwood floors is always going to add value to a home, I think we’ll do that in our kitchen.

    • Will you use it right up to your sink area? Are you concerned about the water in that sink area ruining the hardwood?

  3. Thanks for pointing out that hardwood will always raise the value of your flip and will make buyers more keen to make an offer. I know that hardwood can be expensive, so I think it can be a good idea to get secondhand flooring for your house flip. I think that it would be a good way to get the look you want without it being so expensive.

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