Don’t that just beat all? Tiles that are actually carpet cut into squares, as an alternative to a roll of carpeting.
Let’s give that thought some consideration for a minute. Who hasn’t, at some point in their life, wrestled with a roll of carpet? Fun, wasn’t it? Good news, there is an alternative on the market: carpet tiles, which are simply carpet pieces crafted into squares or tiles. Some of them have an adhesive backing and some do not; your choice, depending on what you want to accomplish.
Thinking that the carpet tiles might not have as much variety as regular carpets? Think again. These tiles have a rainbow of colors available and come with a lot of advantages for today’s budget conscious, do-it-yourself kind of homeowner, who wants to do something with their house, but does not have a great chunk of cash.
What are the advantages of using carpet tiles? One is certainly installation. This stuff is really easy to install by just about anyone, if that is the route you want to go. If you want to hire a pro, that works too. It is just that if you want to do-it-yourself to save money, it is certainly something that will not drive you up the wall with problems on the install. The other thing you might like is that installing carpet tiles goes really fast, even if you have a complicated room to tackle.
Just keep one thing in mind when you are considering installing carpet tiles, and that is they do not much care for humidity. In fact, they are best at room temperatures that range from 60 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. In other words, this type of tile would not do that well in a high humidity area like the bathroom or laundry room.
If you are going to tackle installation on your own, be sure to keep the tiles warm before you start working with them. It makes it easier to cut, and the tiles will be more flexible while laying them out. Get extra tiles, because sure as the sun rises every day, you will either make a mistake on several or have not done the right calculations and some up short. There is nothing worse than running out of tile with only two left and when you get to the store, they don’t have that color left any more or it’s been discontinued.
This type of alternative flooring is really easy on the budget and for this reason, as well as the fact that it is easy to do, people are starting to use it for kid’s rooms, rec rooms and family rooms. They are really durable and take a pretty good beating. Hint: if your kids or the dog creates a stain on one of more of the tiles that you can’t get out, it is too easy to just replace the tile square. How convenient is that, rather than having to get rid of the whole carpet? Certainly worth considering, that is for sure.
Dean Dupre is with Champion Tile, a Clearwater Flooring, Tampa Flooring, and tile installation company. To learn more, visit Champtile.com.
