Carpet Tiles

Carpet tiles are a quick fix alternative to traditional broadloom carpet. Unlike fitting carpet from a roll, which can be problematic to lay, difficult to place, tricky to cut and bulky and awkward to handle – carpet tiles often require little in the way of tools or skill to put down. Carpet tiles come in a vast array of colours, styles and materials. Plain carpet tiles often have arrows printed upon the back to make laying them easier – and if all are laid in the correct direction this can help to create the illusion of one big carpet. Plain carpet tiles can be laid in different directions to create a chequered effect. Alternately, randomly or specifically placed contrasting tiles can be placed to create pattern effects. Carpet tiles can be self adhesive and are often loose laid – this makes it easy to replace single (or multiple) tiles if they become damaged.

Wall and Floor Tiles

Carpet tiles make ideal floor covering for many areas within the home. Carpet tiles can be used in the hall, kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom. Carpet floor tiles are versatile and hard wearing and ideal for high traffic areas such as offices.

Carpet tiles are not normally used for wall coverings. However they can create a dramatic effect if they are placed a third of the way up the wall, extending the floor line. However, carpet tiles will need different glue to fit them on the wall, such as contact cement – beware your wall plaster will probably come off with the carpet tile when removed if using contact cement, so consider screwing/placing a plywood panel in front of the wall and attaching the carpet tiles to that. Carpet tiles are not normally used to cover full walls, although suggestions have been made that they may provide a makeshift cheap soundproofing system! However, hoovering the wall could prove difficult and they would inevitably attract dust and bugs, so maintenance may be an issue.

Things to Consider

When buying flooring for your home ensure you pick an option that best suits your lifestyle. Consider how much traffic passes through the house in a day, consider pets and children and any accidents they may have, or bodily fluids they excrete, can be cleared up with minimal fuss. Consider if you need to soundproof the room and muffle noise (particularly if you live in flats or for upstairs rooms of your house). Also take into account special flooring for wet rooms and areas exposed to moisture, such as kitchens and toilets. Cost is also a consideration, as is light and size. Remember carpet (tiles) can fade if placed within rooms which receive maximum sunlight exposure. You may also want to ensure that the flooring will blend and match with the floor coverings in other rooms – especially adjacent ones. Carpet tiles are ideal for creating distinct spaces, such as in a dining area in a studio flat.

Carpet Tiles Buying Guide

The average sized carpet tile comes in 50×50cm and they are usually sold separately. A single tile (50×50cm) will cover an area of 0.25m (squared). Classic tiles are made from Polypropylene and are suitable for use around the house, including the kitchen and bathroom. Polypropylene carpet tiles are non fray, anti static and colour fast. These tiles have also been treated so that they are bacteria, bleach, stain and fire resistant. Carpet tiles can be laid using PVA adhesive glue. Some even have their own adhesive backing. Most carpet tiles can be laid on top of laminate or even vinyl or concrete and because of the thickness and padding on carpet tiles, underlay is not be needed. Look for carpet tiles which are best suited to your laying abilities, budget and the environment of the room in which they will need to function.

Variety of Carpet Tiles

There are a vast array of carpet tiles available to buy, in many colours and materials. You will find carpet tiles made from natural or synthetic fibres. They can be made from many materials including polypropylene, wool, nylon or a polyester/cotton blend. Cost will vary depending on the material of the tiles. The textures can vary depending on how your carpet tiles have been manufactured, they may be tufted, woven, flat weaved, knotted or a cut and loop style (which prevents dirt and stain build up).

You can even purchase tiles which do not need to be glued in to place, but rather are held in place by their own weight – these are ideal if you plan to take the flooring with you when you move, may need to change the tiles regularly because of staining or dirt, or just like to change the patterns on your floor frequently.

Top Tips

When laying carpet tiles try to leave them unpacked within the room for at least two days. This will allow them to adjust to the room temperature. Turn underfloor heating off for at least twenty four hours before laying, but be sure to check the underfloor heating installation instructions to make sure that the tiles can be laid over it.

Draw a chalk line on the floor to give you a straight edge to work from. Loose lay the tiles before you affix them – ensuring that pieces can be cut and moved appropriately. Also loose laying allows you to ensure the direction of the weave on the tiles is all going the correct way! If possible ask someone to double check this for you!

If there are any tricky areas which need to be cut out then make a cardboard template first. This can then be used as a stencil/guideline so you can cut your tile out accurately.

Be sure to purchase at least ten percent more tiles that you need, this allows extra for any mistakes that may occur. You should also consider purchasing additional carpet tiles so that if any need replacing in the future you have matching stock to hand from the same batch with which to do so.

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