Is it worth keeping...

January 20, 2021 5:38 PM

I have a half box of left over engineered floorboards. Is it worth keeping them for a possible floor repair or can I get rid of them?

I did the floors about 4 years ago with engineered flooring. It isn't a huge area (about 25 sqm).

I am moving out and will rent out the property. There is about half a box of floor boards left. There is nowhere to leave them in storage at the property so would have to take them with me.

Is it worth keeping them in case a repair is needed in future?

The flooring I bought is still available and likely to remain available for some time.

(similarly, I have a small amount of the carpet left, but I'm guessing it isn't worth keeping since it is only in one room so not a massive job if it needs to be redone - 3.5 linear meters was laid).

posted by AnnaRat to Home & Garden (16 answers total)

Best answer: If it were me, I would leave them in the top, bottom or back of a closet somewhere. If the tenant disposes them, you're no further behind than if you never kept them, and if you ever need them, maybe they're already there in the house. I did that with the extra paint and tiles for my condo, and I never needed them, but neither did my tenants get rid of them.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:57 PM on January 20, 2021 [11 favorites]

We've changed floors twice now. We usually take the 10%-15% excess, wrap/tape it in thick mylar, label it, and stick it in the attic. We've done the same with tile. Just in case.

We actually had to use it once about three years ago, and we were happy to have it.
posted by Master Gunner at 6:11 PM on January 20, 2021 [5 favorites]

I've always found a box of leftover boards and tiles in houses I've moved into, and been happy to have them just in case. Once the new occupants' furniture is in place, the materials can easily be tucked under a bed or behind a bookshelf without taking up a ton of space. I'd leave the carpet too- if the new person has a pet they may be grateful to have something to repair any accidents.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:13 PM on January 20, 2021 [9 favorites]

I'd be more likely to keep them since engineered flooring is prone to big gouges that can't be sanded out. Like tiles or roof shingles, I would stick them at the back of a closet or cupboard.
posted by wnissen at 6:21 PM on January 20, 2021

If you keep them, you will never need them. But as soon as you get rid of them, you will wish you had them. Nthing stick in the back of a closet or something.
posted by rikschell at 6:37 PM on January 20, 2021 [14 favorites]

If you have a garage, a small square of carpet - like 3x4 feet - is really nice to put on the floor of the garage in front of the laundry machines if you have them there; or right by the door to the inside.
posted by fingersandtoes at 6:53 PM on January 20, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Keep at least one piece so if you do need to buy more in the future, you can take it to the store to check for match (on the chance that the same exact product / part number isn't still available). Also very helpful to have as a swatch in case you want to coordinate other things with it like paint color, furniture color, etc...
posted by Tandem Affinity at 6:56 PM on January 20, 2021 [3 favorites]

keep them - I bought a place and was so happy that it came with the extra floorboards because they perfectly matched; ones that were purchased at a later date might have been slightly off in color because of natural fading and oxidation or variation at the factory even if it would have been easy to get others that fit. protect them and store them packed tight and flat and dry to prevent warping or they will be useless
posted by slow graffiti at 8:20 PM on January 20, 2021 [2 favorites]

Keep them. If you end up needing them but have to buy new ones, they will be differently lot numbers, and the colors won’t match exactly. The size might not either.
A friend of mine tiled her floors but didn’t know about lot numbers, so she got two different lots. The two were slightly different colors and sizes, and she ended up having to tear up the floor and redo the whole thing.
posted by MexicanYenta at 8:41 PM on January 20, 2021

I agree with everyone saying keep them, but wonder if you'd prefer another layer in your closet(s) as opposed to a box. Don't think I'd bother with this, but just putting it out there.
posted by kate4914 at 9:55 PM on January 20, 2021 [2 favorites]

When I moved into my current rental, there was a 3/4 box of loose laminate (engineered flooring) crammed behind the washer in the washer/ dryer closet, accumulating dust and other crud.

The flooring I bought is still available and likely to remain available for some time.

That's the calculus you'll have to run - even if the model numbers are the same, the actual pattern on them might change.

If you can stash the leftovers somewhere, you've got that piece of mind.
posted by porpoise at 10:26 PM on January 20, 2021

Ug, I hate this problem. You will almost certainly never need them. You should still keep them. I despise having to do this but I do it anyway as an insurance policy.
posted by anderjen at 7:52 AM on January 21, 2021 [2 favorites]

Keep them. If you end up needing them but have to buy new ones, they will be differently lot numbers, and the colors won’t match exactly. The size might not either.

This is the correct answer. Flooring products are generally as 'seasonal' and 'of their time' as something like Old Navy clothes. Unless you picked ones that are truly basic and timeliness, you will not be able to buy the exact same thing again.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:26 AM on January 21, 2021

Best answer: Keep them, but don't leave them in your tenants' space. When I rent a place I expect to have full use of all the closets and other storage areas outlined in the lease. It's not the tenant's responsibility to hang on to parts and materials you may need to maintain your property and fulfill your obligation as landlord.
posted by Stoof at 8:31 AM on January 21, 2021

SOMETIMES the place you bought them from will take singles back. Return that stuff! If you needed more, you could just buy singles back.

Usually applies to tile more than wood but you never know.
posted by bbqturtle at 1:33 PM on January 21, 2021

Response by poster: Thanks all. I hadn't really thought about leaving them behind as I lean toward's Stoof's position that the tenants don't want this stuff cluttering up the place and shouldn't have to. But.. it isn't very big (I haven't checked, but maybe a couple of boards only left).

I do still have a smaller offcut sample from when the floors were installed and I'll - while they are engineered boards, it is real timber on the top and a timber that naturally has a fair range of colors within it.

But anyway, I will have landlord insurance (which I hopefully won't need)....
posted by AnnaRat at 9:19 PM on January 21, 2021