by InnovflorCarpet Tiles: The Advantages and Disadvantages
Carpet is an easy way to add warmth, texture and tone to any commercial or living space. How you choose to install the carpet is dependent on your space, budget and style.
Carpet tiles have become an increasingly popular alternative in recent years due to their modular nature – especially within high-traffic spaces, such as offices and classrooms.
What are carpet tiles?
Carpet tiles, or ‘carpet squares’ as they’re sometimes known, are simply individual tiles of carpeting that can be slotted together. Usually, carpet tiles are structured with a layer of pile fibers, tufted into a primary backing which is then reinforced by a second layer.
Developed in the mid-twentieth century, carpet tiles were designed to provide an accessible, self-serve flooring option that homeowners could easily install themselves.
In addition to the convenience of carpet tiles, there are limitless combinations of fun designs available, making them perfect for simply adding vibrancy to a space.
Offices, school classrooms and many industrial commercial spaces usually opt for carpet tiles due to their durability, easy maintenance and efficiency.
What Size Do Carpet Tiles Come In?
The most common size of carpet tile is 50 x 50cm, however, they are available in other formats & dimensions too.
What Carpet Tile Styles Are Available?
When carpet tiles were a roaring success within the home, particularly in the sixties and seventies, the design and color were a main reason why. Recent development in technologies allows for carpet tile color and designs to be more exuberant than ever.
While a staple of the carpet tile is a boxy look, where the pattern flows together easily, it is not uncommon to see alternative, geometric shapes flow across a room. This is becoming an increasingly popular option for many office spaces.
Carpet tiles use various pile yarns in their makeup and there are a range of materials used, each with their own benefit. The most popular is nylon, which has excellent wear performance and is recyclable. You will also find carpet tiles made from materials such as wool, polypropylene and recycled polyester (PET.)
Advantages of Carpet Tiles
Easy to Install
Arguably one of the most attractive benefits of the carpet tile is simply how convenient they are. As they are modular and able to purchase in small units, they are easy to store, transport and handle.
When it comes to fitting, a professional installer will have no issues with carpet tiles as they are so simple to put together. Installation can go ahead with minimal disruption to the work or living space, and in a relatively short time frame.
Versatility
Easy to handle in small spaces and quick to install over large areas, carpet tiles are genuinely a versatile product. With the many designs, shapes and materials they come in, there is something to suit every area – from boardroom to bedroom.
In modern office environments where floors conceal intricate cabling or ducting arrangements, which must be accessible at all times, carpet tiles are the answer. Since they’re easy to cut to size, these areas can be accessed without the flooring being compromised.
Cost Effective
Carpet tiles are cost-effective as they are low on waste, require little storage space and are easy to transport. The key saver is the installation cost as this will, generally, take a lot less time for a professional installer, than it would for wall-to-wall carpet.
For businesses looking to install carpet, the relative speed of using carpet tiles will see a reduction in disruption and downtime, meaning lower associated costs.
Durability
Renowned for their lifespan and ability to withstand heavy traffic in busy spaces, carpet tiles are a high performing flooring option. The majority of carpet tiles are low pile, looped and very tight.
However, the specification of carpet tiles can be modified to suit different needs. By changing the yarn fiber, pile weight and backing option, you can vary the look, feel & performance of your carpet tile.
Low Maintenance
Easy to clean and easy to replace, looking after your carpet tiles is easy. Maintaining the day-to-day appearance of the carpets is simple as they respond well to regular vacuum cleaning but generally, as they are low pile, they tend to collect less dirt.
If there is a problem area in a certain area, the benefit of the carpet tiles is that they can be easily replaced. The tiles can be removed and replaced, as they were installed in the beginning.
Reusable and Sustainable
In the first instance of fitting carpet tiles, there is comparably very little waste since you order the tiles to fit the space – unlike broadloom, where this is not an option due to the wall-to-wall installation. This is a benefit in the long run too; should you need areas of the carpet tiles to be replaced, there is no need to replace the entire flooring.
Disadvantages of Carpet Tiles
Most disadvantages of carpet tiles tend to be a product of their modular format rather than the tiles themselves, which are a great alternative to traditional broadloom carpet.
Non-Uniform Appearance
Even with inch-perfect placement, carpet tiles may not repeat the uniform look that broadloom carpets make – this is just the nature of how carpet tiles are designed. Some versions are better than others for mimicking a ‘broadloom’ look.
Fraying or Loose Fibre
For obvious reasons, there are more joints/seams in a carpet tile installation than there would be in an equivalent broadloom installation. If we ignore the aesthetic of this, there is no particular problem with this from a practical standpoint. Sometimes you can experience some fraying or loose fibre to tile edges, which has occurred during production, but this is a relatively easy matter to remedy during, or post, installation.
Perception of Less Luxury
There has often been a perception that carpet tiles have a less comfortable, luxurious, feel underfoot than, say, a broadloom carpet installed over an underlay. Whilst this may have been true to a large extent, this factor can now be countered because many carpet tiles are now available with integral cushion backings which provide them with increased comfort, insulation and anti-fatigue benefits.
Decided that carpet tiles are a great solution for your space? Contact us to get catalogue and samples.
If you’ve opted for something else to suit, at Innovflor Carpets, we also have a fine range of other carpets, such as axminster carpet, handtufted carpet, broadloom carpet and more.