Carpet tiles are an extremely durable and versatile flooring option. Ideal for both commercial and living spaces, carpet tiles can provide an excellent flooring choice to suit anyone’s design needs. Due to the modular nature, carpet tiles have become an extremely popular choice in recent years, carpet tiles are fast becoming a fashionable flooring option. We’ve picked out ‘7 wonders’ or carpet tiles benefits for why you should consider picking carpet tiles over other flooring options.
Looking to replace the flooring in your commercial space? Check out 5 tips for choosing the best flooring.
What are carpet tiles?
Carpet tiles (sometimes referred to as modular carpets) is a flooring option that consists of carpet being cut into square pieces from rolls. The square pieces then fit together during installation. Therefore, they are extremely easy to install and are either fitted by sticking the tiles down with an adhesive or stapled.
Carpet tiles come in a variety of different sizes too, including 24”x24” and 18”x18”, giving a wide choice to fit any flooring space. Typically, the squares come in a per square foot size. While carpet tiles are often considered to be a commercial flooring option, they can also be used in many other spaces, including living spaces.
People are even starting to replace traditional wall-to-wall carpets with carpet tiles because of the many benefits the flooring option can provide. After checking out the 7 wonders of carpet tiles, you’ll see why.
The 7 wonders of carpet tiles
1. Cost-effective
The first of our 7 wonders that will appeal to many people’s finances is that carpet tiles are extremely cost-effective. Carpet tiles are cost-effective for several reasons.
Firstly, there is very little waste compared to traditional carpets. I am sure we’ve all had a lot of carpet leftover when replacing our carpet, right?
Secondly, the tiles can be bought per square meter (or inches). Some suppliers may even provide a bulk discount.
Thirdly, you can save money on both installation costs and the disruption caused to your business due to the speed and ease of installing the tiles. There’s no underlay required either making carpet tiles an affordable flooring alternative.
Just make sure you leave a few tiles left over should you ever need to replace one!
2. Durable
While carpet tiles may provide a cheaper flooring alternative, it certainly does not forgo quality. One more carpet tiles benefits is that the flooring is extremely durable. They can withstand areas with high footfall and will hold out over longer periods when compared to traditional carpets.
The heavy-duty nature is one of the biggest selling points to spaces, such as schools, where the flooring needs to withstand a lot of daily traffic. Plus, if a tile becomes damaged or too badly stained, it is easy to remove the affected tile and just replace it with a new one. There’s no need to replace the whole floor again.
3. Layering
One of the standout elements of carpet tiles over traditional carpets is manufacturing. Unlike traditional carpets, carpet tiles are made with several layers that help to provide the durability the flooring is known for.
The tiles typically consist of structured layers of pile fibres. These layers are tufted to a primary backing with then a second layer for reinforcement. Because of the different layers and the reinforcement, carpet tiles can withstand a lot more compared to traditional carpets.
4. Versatility
Carpet tiles are known for their versatility. There are so many colours, patterns, and designs that you can choose from. Whether it be a block colour, striped or chequered, there’s something for everyone. If you wanted to get creative, you could even get carpet tiles in different shapes. Triangles or hexagonal anyone?
There is no set way to laying the tiles either. Traditionally, carpet tiles may be installed in a monolithic turn. That’s not something from the film 2001, but is a way of fitting the tiles. Monolith consists of laying the tiles straight to mimic the pattern or design you usually see on traditional carpets. With carpet tiles, you can mix them up and fit them using a quarter turn. The quarter-turn involves installing each tile at an adjacent 90° angle.
With the wide variety of design choices, it’d be hard not to find one that suits your décor needs. That’s something that even traditional wall-to-wall carpets can’t offer. No matter what size or shape of the room, carpet tiles can easily be adapted, making them a hot favourite in commercial spaces.
5. Easy installation
Anyone who has previously replaced a carpet will know the difficulties of traditional carpets. Firstly, they come in rolls that are extremely heavy. Then there’s the problem of having to buy long rolls that could leave a lot left over. And to finish off, you need to either get a carpet fitter in or have the right experience and tools to lay down the carpet yourself. Anyone familiar with tackless strips, underpad or knee kickers?
Carpet tiles can remove all the pains of traditional carpets. Perhaps the ease of installation is the biggest advantage people will agree on for carpet tiles. Because carpet tiles do not come in big heavy rolls, they are extremely convenient and can be easily lifted and carried. Because the tiles are modular, they can be bought in small batches. Unlike fitting traditional carpets, it’s a job for one.
When it comes to fitting the tiles, the job is much easier compared to traditional carpets too. Because you are not having to work from a big heavy roll, the carpet tiles can be easily moved to a position ideal for fitting. The carpet tiles are fitted a lot easier too and can be done a lot quicker.
For a quick DIY guide, check out this video on installing carpet tiles.
6. Low maintenance
One more wonder of carpet tiles is the low maintenance. If we told you carpet tiles were easy to clean and easy to replace, would you believe us? Well, it’s true. Carpet tiles are really low maintenance. Due to the durable and hardwearing nature, the only maintenance carpet tiles are ever likely to need is regular vacuuming. But because the tiles are low pile, they don’t tend to gather as much dirt as traditional carpets.
The tiles don’t wear as easily either and can withstand a lot more of the usual wear and tear floors have to put up with. The tiles are more resilient to water spillages. That’s not to say they are waterproof, but they will hold up against accidental spillages.
In the event a tile does get a stain, it can be treated quickly using a shampoo or stain remover. Also, deep cleaning will only probably need doing once every two years in high footfall areas. Worst-case scenario, you just replace the one damaged tile.
7. Sustainability
Our final pick for the 7 wonders of carpet tiles is sustainability. We’ve already mentioned that using carpet tiles can cut down on the wastage often seen with traditional carpets. But it’s worth noting it again for sustainability reasons. The only leftover from carpet tiles is the few you put aside for spares in the event a tile needs to be replaced. That’s less to throw away and more money saved.
Nowadays, most carpet tiles are also made from recycled materials. So not only are you helping to cut back on the amount of wastage, but you are also doing that little extra bit for the planet.
There you have it, the 7 wonders of carpet tiles. With many carpet tiles benefits, it’s not hard to see why this flooring option is becoming increasingly popular. Whether you are looking to replace the flooring in your commercial or living spaces, carpet tiles are a choice that you simply cannot ignore. If you would like to check out some of the work E&M Services has carried out, including where we’ve installed carpet tiles, check out our portfolio.
To find out how we can help with your flooring needs, get in touch