If you are planning to revamp your commercial premises, whether it’s an office space, a pub, a hotel or a shop, chances are you’ll be exploring carpet tiles as one of the flooring options.
These are not only a durable type of flooring, but also one that comes in a wide variety of colours and patterns, enabling you to customise your flooring to match your brand identity and suit your business.
We’ve put together a quick guide to help you better understand how carpet tiles are installed and what you need to consider when you’re ordering commercial carpet tiles for a renovation project.
What size do carpet tiles come in?
While many carpet tiles come in a standard square, with each tile measuring 500mm x 500mm, there are variations. For instance, some manufacturers offer slightly smaller tile sizes, measuring 457mm x 457mm.
Then there are slightly larger options, such as tiles that measure 610mm x 610mm. The right choice for your premises will more likely come down to colour and pattern than the size of the tiles themselves.
Of course, it’s worth bearing in mind that carpet tiles typically come in boxes of ten. That means you’ll get slightly more coverage with a larger sized tile. Whether that is cost effective will depend on how much each tile costs, so it’s worth doing the maths before you make a purchase.
You aren’t restricted to square tiles either. You can also buy carpet tile planks, which are 250mm x 1,000mm in size. These tiles typically come in boxes of 12. Choosing planks rather than squares is a design choice.
How many carpet tiles will I need?
The process of working out how many carpet tiles you’ll need for a given space is relatively simple. The first step is to measure your room accurately. You’ll need the length and width of the room to work out its area.
If you have irregular shaped rooms, make sure you measure each part of the floor space to ensure you order enough tiles to cover the whole space.
Once you know the floor area you need carpet tiles for, you can divide that by the area an individual tile covers. For instance, if your room is 5m x 5m and you’ve chosen tiles that measure 500mm x 500mm then you’ll need 100 tiles.
However, make sure you order more than you need to allow for tiles needing to be cut to fit the space. So, in that example you would order 110 tiles – that gives you a ten per cent margin.
How are carpet tiles installed?
How your carpet tiles are installed will depend on the flooring surface they are being attached to. If you have a solid floor, you can use adhesive or tape to stick your tiles down. But don’t start sticking the tiles in place immediately.
In fact, before you get your carpet tiles out of their box, make sure that the floor they are going on is clean and level. Once you’ve prepared your base, you can start laying out the tiles.
Begin at the centre of the room and work outwards. This will help ensure an even finish and it will allow you to see if any of your walls aren’t quite straight. In some cases, this may mean you need to cut your carpet tiles to get them to fit the space.
It is helpful to draw guidelines on your floor using chalk to help you keep your tiles level and make sure that you get an even finish.
If you’re not sure how best to go about this process, it is worth bringing in professionals to lay your carpet tiles. This is especially true if this is an area that will be seen by clients or members of the public.
It is also important that you leave your carpet tile to acclimatise to the space in which they’ll be laid for at least 24 hours before you put them down. This ensures they will reach the optimum fitting temperature of 18 to 27 degrees C.
Do carpet tiles need underlay?
Most carpet tiles come with an underlay attached, which means you don’t need to install a separate underlay. However, in high-traffic areas on upper floors, you may want an acoustic underlay to help reduce noise levels.
Whether you need underlay in your space will therefore depend on various factors. If you’re unsure, speak to your carpet installer to get their opinion.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to get in touch with the CVT Direct team via our Contact Us page or give us a ring on 0345 121 1234.
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