Best Flooring Options For A Vacation Rental or Beach House
Discover our top flooring picks for a vacation rental or second home that withstands heavy foot traffic.
If you own a vacation rental or second home, you’re likely aware of the importance of balancing cost, quality, and affordability of its amenities to ensure tenant satisfaction and minimize maintenance costs. However, this balance is even more crucial in beach homes, where foot traffic and moisture can be constant concerns.
Given these conditions, you won’t choose the same flooring for a beach home as you would for your primary residence. In a beach vacation rental, it’s essential to install low-maintenance, durable, and hard-surface flooring to make cleanup a breeze. Carpet is definitely not the best option, as regular professional deep cleanings would be necessary to remove embedded dirt and sand.
Let’s move on to explore the six best flooring types we recommend for beach vacation rentals:
6 Best Flooring Types for a Vacation Beach Rental
Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT)
One of the most popular flooring options for rentals, luxury vinyl tile (LVT) boasts several advantages. Its ease of installation, as some styles can simply click into place above the baseboard, makes it a practical choice. Moreover, its exceptional durability ensures that even coarse sand tracked onto it won’t cause damage. While it may be a more costly option, LVT is resistant to scuffs and water/moisture, making it an ideal choice for luxurious vacation rentals where quality matters.
Tile
While standard tile may not be the most comfortable surface to walk on for extended periods, its durability and ease of cleaning make it an excellent choice for rental properties. Its water-resistant properties are also a significant advantage, ensuring that it remains in good condition despite exposure to moisture.
Historically popular in kitchens and bathrooms, tile is an ideal selection for beach vacation rentals, particularly around entry and exit points where sand and debris are likely to be tracked in.
Linoleum
Linoleum flooring is a practical choice for standard rental properties, offering durability and water resistance. However, it may not be the most luxurious option. Furthermore, its lifespan is generally shorter compared to other flooring styles on this list, requiring more frequent replacements.
A notable benefit of linoleum is its eco-friendly credentials, making it an attractive feature for environmentally conscious tourists. As a “green” flooring option, linoleum emits no VOCs, is constructed from renewable materials, and is biodegradable at the end of its useful life.
Laminate
Laminate flooring offers a cost-effective and easy installation process, making it a practical choice for rental properties. While it may not last as long as traditional hardwood, it still provides durability and is suitable for high-traffic areas, such as your beach house rental. Its growing popularity in the rental market is due to its combination of affordability and durability.
One minor drawback of laminate flooring is its limited resistance to moisture, so it’s essential to address spills or water tracked in from the beach or pool promptly to prevent damage.
Stone
For a high-end, luxury rental experience, consider stone flooring. While it’s an investment, stone is renowned for its exceptional durability and stunning aesthetic appeal. Its resilience ensures it won’t wear down quickly, and its beauty is unparalleled, making it an ideal choice for discerning renters seeking a premium experience.
Engineered Hardwood
To complete the list, consider engineered hardwood flooring. It offers the same luxurious look and durability as traditional hardwood, minus the drawbacks. While many adore the natural beauty of wood floors, conventional hardwood comes with issues like warping and wood rot from moisture exposure. As such, it’s not ideal for a beach house rental. Engineered hardwood, on the other hand, is a more expensive option that still provides all the benefits of traditional hardwood – including durability, low maintenance, and a long lifespan – without the drawbacks. Its elegant appearance can make a fantastic impression on guests, making it an excellent choice for your rental property.
