A tenant moves out on the 31st, the new lease starts on the 8th, and the kitchen floor has a burn mark in front of the stove and a soft spot by the dishwasher. For most property managers, that’s the real question behind multifamily flooring installation: what can we put down that gets this unit rented fast and survives the next few tenants without a full tear-out?
For most Columbus apartment communities, the practical answer is a mix: luxury vinyl plank in living areas, sheet vinyl in kitchens and baths where budget is tight, and carpet in bedrooms. The right split depends on your vacancy costs, your residents and how many units you turn each year. FedCo’s multifamily flooring service is built around that kind of decision. Here’s how each floor behaves during a turn.
What Matters Most in Unit Turn Flooring
Every day a unit sits empty costs rent, so the first question is speed. A floor you can repair in an afternoon beats one that needs a full room replaced, even if the second one is a little cheaper per square foot.
The second question is repair versus replace. Some damage (a torn carpet seam, a single gouged plank) can be fixed locally. Other damage, like pet urine soaked into carpet pad or water under a glued floor, usually means replacing the whole area.
The third is matching. If the unit next door has a gray oak plank and this one gets a brown oak plank, residents notice and future repairs get harder. Matching existing units is easier when the property sticks to a short list of products, which we cover below.
Luxury Vinyl Plank for Apartments
Luxury vinyl plank for apartments has become the default in living rooms, hallways and many kitchens because it handles spills well and cleans up quickly between tenants. Its biggest advantage in a turn is that damage is often local. A deep scratch or a dent from a dropped weight can affect one or two planks instead of the whole room.
Whether you can swap out a single plank depends on the product. Tarkett’s care guidance notes that some manufacturers allow replacing individual planks while others advise against it to protect the installation. Before you standardize on a plank, ask your installer how that specific product is repaired, and keep a few boxes from the same production run on site.
Plank can sometimes go over an existing floor, which saves demolition time. Our article on installing vinyl plank over old tile explains when that works and when the old floor has to come up, including height issues at doors, appliances and toilets.
Sheet Vinyl vs LVP in Kitchens and Baths
Sheet vinyl is still common in apartment kitchens, laundry areas and bathrooms, and for good reason. It comes in wide rolls, so a small bathroom can often be covered in one piece, which leaves fewer joints for water to find. It usually costs less to buy than plank, which matters when you’re doing dozens of units a year.
Seams are the weak point. Where two pieces meet, they’re sealed during installation, and that seal needs time. Congoleum’s installation guide, for example, says to keep traffic off seams for at least 16 hours or until fully cured, so plan the schedule so cleaners and movers aren’t walking across a fresh seam. The same guide says small cuts can be repaired with seam sealer, while bigger damage means patching in a matching piece.
The tradeoff in sheet vinyl vs LVP comes down to repair style. Plank damage is often fixed one piece at a time, while sheet vinyl damage gets patched or the room gets redone. In a small bathroom, redoing the room may still be the cheaper and faster option.
Carpet in Bedrooms
Many residents still prefer carpet in bedrooms. It feels warmer on bare feet, and in upstairs units it helps soften footsteps and dropped items for the people below, which can mean fewer noise complaints landing on your desk.
The harder part is what happens between tenants. Carpet that’s been well kept may only need a deep cleaning and a few repairs before the next move-in. Carpet with heavy stains, pet damage or worn traffic lanes needs replacing. A good turn inspection separates the two quickly so you don’t replace carpet that a cleaning would have saved.
FedCo’s carpet cleaning and repair team handles steam clean extraction, patching, seam repairs and re-stretching, with same-day and next-day scheduling available. Booking cleaning and replacement through the same company keeps the decision about which units need what in one place.
Planning Multifamily Flooring Installation Across a Property
The biggest savings in unit turn flooring usually come from planning at the property level instead of unit by unit. Pick one plank, one sheet vinyl and one carpet for each unit type and write them into your turn standards. When every two-bedroom on the property uses the same products, repairs match, crews know the products and ordering is simple.
Keep a small stock of your standard products, either on site or with your supplier. We keep a large stock of carpet, sheet vinyl and vinyl plank styles at our Columbus warehouse for exactly this reason, so a turn doesn’t stall waiting on a special order. If a product is being discontinued, ask about it early and buy enough to cover repairs while you choose a replacement.
A simple checklist helps:
- One approved product per floor type and unit type, with color names and item numbers on file
- A few spare boxes or a remnant roll for repairs
- A record of which units have which floor and when it was installed
- A plan for phasing in a new product when the old one is discontinued
Scheduling Apartment Flooring Installation for a Fast Turnaround
A fast turnaround depends mostly on what happens before the crew arrives. The installer needs accurate measurements, a clear unit, and the subfloor in decent shape. Water damage, loose subfloor or old flooring that has to be tested before removal (some older resilient floors may contain asbestos) can add days, so flag older units early.
Order of work matters too. Painting and any wall repairs should be finished before new flooring goes in, and appliances should be ready to slide back once the floor and any seams have cured. Give the installer a single contact for access and keys, and don’t book the move-in cleaning crew for the same morning as the install.
As our multifamily page puts it, we can get flooring from our Columbus warehouse to your property and installed within two business days. We also offer 24-hour emergency service for the leaks and floods that don’t wait for a scheduled turn.
Request a Multifamily Quote
If you manage apartments in the Columbus area and want to standardize your turn flooring or speed up your next batch of vacancies, tell us how many units you turn each year and what’s on the floors now. We’ll suggest a plank, sheet vinyl and carpet lineup for your property from the styles we stock in Columbus. To request a multifamily quote, call 614-273-0988 or email orderdesk@fedcofloors.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best flooring for apartment unit turns?
For most Columbus apartment communities, the practical answer is a mix of luxury vinyl plank in living areas, sheet vinyl in kitchens and baths where budget is tight, and carpet in bedrooms. The right split depends on your vacancy costs, your residents and how many units you turn each year.
Is sheet vinyl or LVP better for apartment kitchens and baths?
It comes down to repair style. Plank damage is often fixed one piece at a time, while sheet vinyl gets patched or the room gets redone. Sheet vinyl usually costs less to buy and can often cover a small bathroom in one piece, leaving fewer joints for water to find.
Should I replace or clean the carpet between tenants?
Well-kept carpet may only need a deep cleaning and a few repairs before the next move-in. Carpet with heavy stains, pet damage or worn traffic lanes needs replacing, so a good turn inspection helps you avoid replacing carpet a cleaning would have saved.
How fast can multifamily flooring be installed?
We can get flooring from our Columbus warehouse to your property and installed within two business days. We also offer 24-hour emergency service for leaks and floods that don’t wait for a scheduled turn.
