Just an FYI....

Only carpet i have left in the rentals is some carpeted stairs. After multiple quotes (area just outside DC) cost to replace 19 stairs (no landings) is $450 for carpet and $950 for hardwood or laminate. This does not include materials which i purchase. Includes haul away of a debris.

I paid a little over $1000 from Home Depot for Life

Proof vinyl flooring and stair nose molding. The stair nose molding had to be ordered (not special ordered), took about a week to arrive.

If i had it to do over again i think i would install hardwood instead of vinyl flooring. The costs are very close. Just my 2 cents.

I'm still putting in my unfinished hardwood red oak 2nds and am loving it. It's exactly the kind of stability and solidity to help the place where it's being installed. The aesthetics are also pleasing. The up-front installation costs are higher, because of the time/labor factor and needing to go back and do the finishing (stain/poly, though I'll probably leave it natural/poly). But the materials themselves were very economical. ($1.39/sf. I could have got it for fifty cents less, but I thought the place I got it from had it in stock for cash-and-carry, and the other place was we'll-email-you-when-it-arrives. I committed without clarifying. The other place emailed to confirm availability about a week later.)

I just use carpet treads on my stairs that you can staple on.

Plenty, I think we re-evaluate as materials and labor costs change. When we started, carpet was the cheapest and best way to go and we were discussing Berber (looped) vs. Non-loop, and also different types of padding.

Hardwood was out-of-reach for most folks in "regular" rentals.

Then Allure came out but it only had about three colors.

If I have a water leak, I'm probably going to tear my floor up anyways to dry it out and let it air so there's no mold.

LVP is not only watertight, but you can soak it in water for months with no damage.

The problem is, sometimes the water gets UNDER the planks.

Click lock can be unclicked, the floor dried, and the same planks reinstalled if you are careful.

Hardwood or laminate in a wet area? NEVER for me.

We've had toilet leaks that went UNDER the Allure without notice because we didn't caulk. One had the old vinyl underneath and the water was trapped between the two layers. No damage.

At one place a while back though, it went under and rotted the subfloor and toilet went through the floor.

I disagree about caulking the toilet base in.

Sure it helps to keep the overflowing water out but if you have a wax ring failure or an unknown crack in the underside of the stool you will not know about it until the floor starts caving in.

I like the idea of sealing the subfloor before you put the LVP down. That will help some.

But water has to evaporate or it just stays there forever.

Admittedly I need to silicone the perimeter better in my installs. I guess I have had less wax rings go bad than I have had over flowing stools tho.