Can Carpet Tiles be used on Stairs?

Customers looking to revitalise their spaces consider carpet tiles as not only a viable alternative to sheet carpet but an all-round better option, because of the reasonable simplicity to install and the flexibility it affords. Tiles can be laid to form almost any pattern desired by the user, as well as to clearly outline designated areas (useful in the case of schools and offices, where different areas will see different rates of traffic).

As well as rooms and spaces where people are most likely to walk and sit on the flooring, something else that should be considered is carpet tiles for stairs, which will see a large amount of traffic despite not being anyone’s end destination. A lot of thought is always put into ensuring a room is well designed, and rightfully so, but the staircase can so often be demoted to an afterthought.

Whether you are looking to invest in carpet tiles for residential or commercial property, your staircase should receive every bit as much care and attention as any other room in the building.

Using Carpet Tiles for Stairs

Carpet tiles can be used on stairs, very effectively as a matter of fact. Rather than cutting up a roll of sheet carpet to accommodate each step and nosing, tiles can be slotted into place and cut to suit. Therefore, it is always recommended that you add on an extra 10% to 15% after measuring your staircase to account for wastage and to allow for an additional number of tiles that can be used to fill in awkward gaps.

Remember, it isn’t guaranteed that every step on your staircase will measure the same – so don’t rest on your laurels and get that tape measure out on each step instead of just one and multiplying the measurement by however many steps you have. Top, bottom and middle steps (especially in the case of winding staircases) often come up bigger than other steps, as well as stair nosing and bullnoses which will require extra care.

When it comes to the actual installation of the carpet tiles for your stairs, you will find them to be much, much easier than working with sheet carpet. If you would not consider yourself to be a DIY guru, and even if you would, you will be thankful to have a product that is already cut down to size. Anyone that has installed traditional sheet carpet on a staircase will know from first-hand experience just how time-consuming and frustrating it can be.

How Much Traffic Will Your Staircase See?

Whether you are fitting out a residential or commercial staircase, you have to consider just how much traffic this part of the property is likely to see. If you think that, at some point or another, everyone in the building is likely to have to use the staircase at least twice a day (coming up and down), this may account for a lot of daily steps – especially if you are fitting out for a large business.

This means that skimping on quality is not an option, as you will only find yourself having to replace your flooring much earlier than you may like to. You should expect quality, well-fitted carpet tiles to have a lifespan of between 10 and 12 years before a replacement is needed. For most residential and commercial customers, this is a suitable length of time as you will not need to consider replacement costs when it comes to working out your annual budget.

While you may be tempted to opt for the cheapest option on the market at the time, this may not necessarily save you money long-term. Poor-quality tiles, regardless of how well they may have been laid, will not have the same durability as high-quality materials and will require replacing much sooner than premium options.

As well as additional maintenance costs, the safety factor must also be considered. Poor carpet tiles can be a hazard, especially when utilised on staircases where the potential for accidents is increased anyway. All it can take for someone to take a nasty tumble down the stairs, causing potentially serious injuries, is one bad tile. For businesses, this can result in expensive damage costs.

While you may believe that the chances of someone falling down the stairs due to cheap carpet tiles are low, when you consider how many people will be walking up and down the stairs every day, the odds begin to shorten. It just is not worth taking an unnecessary risk.

Replacement Tiles

Even if you have the most expensive flooring solution on the market, it will always be susceptible to damage caused because of spillage and/or mess from muddy footprints. Although a lot of mess can be quickly cleaned away, sometimes staining does occur which, if you have only just laid down your carpet, will be highly frustrating.

Whereas sheet carpet will require a complete re-fit, potentially removing the flooring from each step, the use of carpet tiles means that the re-fit is confined purely to the problem area. For example, if someone spilt a drink that stained one step, the tile(s) could simply be removed and replaced with tiles that you have left over from the installation (another reason why we recommend accounting for wastage when purchasing your carpet tiles). Making use of spare tiles from the same order will also guarantee that they will perfectly match the colour and pattern of the tiles on your staircase.

Contact Carpet Floor Tiles Today

If you would like some more information on picking carpet tiles for steps and staircases, or any other flooring-related reason, please get in contact with the Carpet Floor Tiles team today. You can also view our price guide if you are looking to price up a project.