Landlord's Guide to Replacing Carpet & Flooring
Carpet & Flooring Replacement Schedule 2
Avoid Fees and Charges for Unnecessary Add-on Services.
Removing and Replacing Appliances
Before the vinyl installers arrive to put in your new floors, your maintenance person should move the appliances out of the areas that are being replaced.
It is a good idea to move them out of the apartment if possible, giving the installer room to work. The vinyl installer will charge you to move them if you don’t, and this is one area you can easily save money.
Removing and Replacing Toilets
The toilets should be removed also, it is another charge you can avoid. Have the maintenance person carefully set the toilet inside the bath tub or shower on a soft material. It will be out of the way and quick and easy to replace after the new flooring is laid.
After re-installing the toilet with a new wax ring, white silicone caulk should be applied around the base of the toilet leaving a small 3 inch area in the very back of the base free of caulking.
In the event of a toilet leak, or the wax ring fails, the area in the very back of the toilet will allow the water to escape onto the floor and become noticeable. This is your early warning system. It gives you a fighting chance to discover and fix a small problem before it becomes a large problem.
Removing Old Carpet and Padding
When having new carpeting installed you might want to consider having your maintenance people remove the old carpet and pad to save you money. Carpet installers charge by-the-yard (or square foot) to remove your old carpet and pad.
If your in-house maintenance crew can do this properly and dispose of it economically, then you stand to save a lot of money over time.
If you can have all the carpet and padding removed before the installers arrive you will save a lot of money in the long run. However, your maintenance people must be thorough and do a good job, leaving the floors clean and completely free of all carpet & pad, with the unit swept clean and completely ready for new carpet to be installed.
If your maintenance people do a lousy job removing the carpet and pad and don't leave the floors free and clear and well swept, then you will be charged to make it right, thus not saving as much money as you could have.
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