Flooring for Holiday Lets and Short-Stay Apartments on the Gold Coast

The short answer

A holiday let is not used like a family home. Every few days a new group of guests arrives with suitcases, sandy feet and wet towels, and a cleaner turns the property around in a few hours before the next arrival. The floor has to cope with all of that, look fresh in the listing photos and be quick to replace if something goes wrong.

That is why we usually suggest a waterproof vinyl plank or hybrid in living areas, kitchens, hallways and entries, and a hard-wearing, stain-resistant carpet in bedrooms if the owner wants carpet at all. Engineered timber can suit an owner-occupied beach house or a higher-end short-stay property, but it needs more care in a high-turnover rental. In apartments, the by-laws decide a lot: most buildings set an acoustic rating for hard floors, so the product and underlay are chosen to meet it.

What a holiday-let floor has to cope with

Coastal short-stay properties around Coolangatta, Kirra, Rainbow Bay, Tugun, Burleigh Heads, Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise put floors through a particular mix of wear. Before choosing a product, it helps to list what the floor will actually face.

• Sand carried in from the beach, which scratches soft finishes at entries and in living areas
• Wet feet, wet towels and swimwear dropped on the floor after the pool or the surf
• Suitcase wheels and furniture being moved around by guests
• Frequent cleaning, often with whatever mop and products the cleaner brings
• Strong sun through large glass doors in beachfront units, which can fade some colours over time
• Humidity and salt air, which affect how floating floors and timber behave
• Tight turnaround windows between bookings, so installation time matters

Vinyl plank: the practical all-rounder

Vinyl plank is waterproof, quiet underfoot and easy to clean, which makes it a strong fit for short-stay apartments. It comes as click-lock planks that float, or as glue-down planks bonded to the slab. Glue-down vinyl is very stable in sunny rooms and very quiet, but it needs a smooth, level slab, so the subfloor preparation is part of the job.

Vinyl plank is thinner than hybrid, which helps in older units and beach houses where door clearances and floor heights are limited, and where the new floor meets existing tiles at a balcony or bathroom door. Its main weakness is that it follows whatever is underneath it, so a poorly prepared slab will show through. As a guide, vinyl plank costs about $55 to $90 per m² supplied and installed on the Gold Coast in 2026.

Hybrid: firmer underfoot for bigger open areas

Hybrid flooring has a rigid stone-plastic core, a printed timber-look surface and a protective wear layer, and most planks come with an underlay attached. It is waterproof, feels firmer and more like timber underfoot, and bridges small imperfections in a slab better than thin vinyl. That makes it a good choice for larger open-plan living areas in holiday homes and for owners who want a more solid feel.

Because hybrid floats, it needs the expansion gaps and expansion breaks the manufacturer specifies, especially across long runs and in sunny rooms. Heavy furniture and kitchen islands should not pin the floor down. Our guide to hybrid flooring problems explains how careful preparation prevents peaking, gaps and hollow sounds. As a guide, hybrid costs about $70 to $120 per m² supplied and installed.

Carpet in holiday-let bedrooms

Carpet still has a place in short-stay properties. In bedrooms it softens noise between rooms and between floors, feels comfortable for guests and is usually the lower-cost option per square metre. The key is choosing a carpet that copes with guests and cleaners.

Solution-dyed nylon holds its colour well and resists many common stains, which suits bright coastal bedrooms. Polyester is softer and lower in cost and resists water-based stains. Wool feels luxurious but needs more care, so it is better suited to owner-occupied homes. A good underlay helps the carpet last and feel better underfoot. We generally suggest keeping carpet out of entries, kitchens and anywhere guests come straight in from the beach. As a guide, carpet costs about $40 to $70 per m² supplied and installed.

Engineered timber in short-stay properties

Engineered timber has a hardwood top layer on a stable core, so it handles Gold Coast humidity better than many solid boards. It suits higher-end beach houses and owner-occupied apartments where the owner wants a timber floor and the property is used gently.

In a busy holiday let, timber needs more attention than vinyl plank or hybrid. Sand scratches the finish, standing water should be wiped up, and strong sun can change its colour over time. If you choose timber for a short-stay property, a matt or low-sheen finish hides wear better than gloss, and generous entry mats make a real difference. Engineered and solid timber costs about $110 to $200 per m² supplied and installed as a guide.

Apartments: body corporate acoustic rules come first

Most Gold Coast apartment buildings have body corporate by-laws for hard floors. They usually set an acoustic (impact sound) rating the new floor must meet, require approval before work starts, and limit the hours trades can work and when the lift can be used. In Tweed Heads and other New South Wales buildings, strata by-laws apply instead of Queensland body corporate rules, but the questions are similar.

Before quoting hard flooring in a unit, we go through the by-laws with the owner, choose a vinyl plank or hybrid and an underlay system designed to meet the required rating, and plan access with the building or letting manager. Changing from carpet to a hard floor without approval can lead to noise complaints and a body corporate dispute, so this step is worth doing properly. Our guide to apartment flooring and body corporate acoustic rules covers the process in more detail.

Planning the installation around bookings

Downtime costs money in a holiday let, so the installation is planned around the booking calendar. At the free in-home measure we check the subfloor, measure every room and agree what needs to happen before installation day. A typical apartment can usually be completed in one to two days, depending on the area, the amount of preparation and the product, and we give you an expected timeframe with the quote.

It helps to block out a little more time than the installation itself, so the property can be cleaned and photographed before the next guests arrive.

• Book the free measure early and share the vacancy dates you have available
• Confirm body corporate approval and the building's trade hours and lift booking rules
• Arrange keys and access with the letting manager or on-site manager
• Plan where furniture will go while the floor is being laid
• Allow time after installation for cleaning, styling and new listing photos

Sun, sand and colour choice

Beachfront units on the southern Gold Coast take strong sun through large glass doors, and some floor colours change over time in that light. Lighter, natural tones show fading and sand less than very dark floors, and they keep rooms bright in listing photos. Blinds, curtains or tinted glass on the harshest windows protect both the floor and the furniture.

Sand is the other big factor. A strong wear layer and a matt finish help vinyl plank and hybrid resist fine scratches, and a large entry mat at each door catches most of it before it spreads through the property. Seeing samples in the property's own light is the best way to choose, which is why our mobile showroom brings them to you.

Cleaning between guests

A floor only looks good in a holiday let if the cleaners look after it properly. Give your cleaning team the manufacturer's care instructions for the floor you choose. For vinyl plank and hybrid, regular vacuuming or sweeping to remove sand, followed by a damp mop with a pH-neutral cleaner, is usually all that is needed. Many manufacturers advise against steam mops and harsh or abrasive cleaners, so check the instructions before cleaning day.

Felt pads on chair and table legs, and wheel-friendly mats where luggage is unpacked, reduce wear. Keeping a few spare planks from the original batch makes it easier to replace a damaged plank later, which matters more in a rental than in a family home.

What it costs

As a guide for 2026, supply and installation on the Gold Coast typically runs about $40 to $70 per m² for carpet, $55 to $90 for vinyl plank, $70 to $120 for hybrid and $110 to $200 for engineered or solid timber. For example, 50 m² of hybrid through the living area, kitchen and hallway of an apartment would work out at roughly $3,500 to $6,000 before any acoustic underlay upgrade the building requires.

The final figure depends on the product, the size and shape of the area, how much levelling the slab needs and whether old flooring has to be removed. At Streatfield Flooring, removal of the old floor, subfloor preparation and levelling, stairs and trims are included in a fixed written quote after a free in-home measure, and there are no travel fees anywhere from Coomera to Tweed Heads, including Coolangatta, Kirra and Rainbow Bay.

Checklist before you book

Whoever you choose to install your holiday-let flooring, these questions help you compare quotes fairly.

• Does the product and underlay meet the building's acoustic rating, and who arranges body corporate approval?
• Is removal and disposal of the old floor included?
• Is subfloor preparation and levelling included, and has the slab been checked?
• How will the floor be finished at the balcony door, bathroom, kitchen and tiled areas?
• How long will the installation take, and can it fit between bookings?
• Are trims and stairs included in a fixed written price?
• What are the manufacturer's care instructions for cleaners?