How to Lay Carpet Tiles

Unlike traditional sheet carpet or hardwood flooring, carpet tiles are exceptionally easy to install which makes them a great choice for businesses looking to instantly refurbish their premises with minimal disruption and cost outlay.

The process can be split into several easy-to-follow steps. Provided you follow these steps closely, you will be able to complete the installation quickly and with ease.

Measuring for Carpet Tiles

The first step to laying carpet tiles is knowing how to measure for them. Read our guide on how to measure your office for carpet tiles to find out more information, but generally speaking, we recommend ordering 10% more than you need. This accounts for any mistakes you might’ve made whilst measuring, and it also gives you a good buffer for if you damage a tile whilst laying it, or if it gets damaged at some point in the future. If you have an odd-shaped room that isn’t comprised of neat right angles, you should consider adding 15%-20% wastage to account for the cutting that will be required.

It’s easy to figure out many tiles you need when you order with Carpet Floor Tiles. Simply browse our range of tiles, click on the design you like, enter the width and length of your room (in metres) and add the tiles to your basket! We offer the option to automatically add on 10% wastage before you complete your order, so there’s no need to do any tricky calculations or guesswork because we do it all for you. This means all you need to do is know how many metres wide and long your room is in order to measure for carpet tiles properly.

Preparing for Carpet Tiles

Once you’ve made your order and have enough tiles, you need to consider how you plan on laying your carpet tiles. One of the biggest benefits of using tiles is that you can fit them without having to empty the room first. With sheet carpet, you need to remove all furniture and items from the room in order to lay it, but carpet tiles allow you the freedom to conduct business as usual whilst you work your way from one end of the room to the other. This means you can empty the room if you want to, but if you want to keep things moving in the office, you can work around desks and/or equipment if needed.

Whichever way you choose to lay your tiles, you first need to clear the existing floor. If you have carpet, you’ll need to take it up first and assess the condition of the floor below. You may need to level it out with screed to make sure it’s as smooth as possible for the best finish once the carpet tiles have been laid.

We recommend using a tackifier adhesive to secure carpet tiles, but this can be difficult to remove from hardwood floors and concrete. In this instance, you’ll want to install a membrane prior to laying the tiles in order to protect the floor underneath.

When your carpet tiles arrive, we recommend leaving them in the room for 24 hours so that they have time to acclimatise. When tiles warm up, they may expand and peak which can make it hard to accurately lay the tiles without gaps.

After the tiles have been acclimatised and before you commence securing anything in place, you’ll want to consider the layout of the tiles. If you’ve chosen tiles that have a pattern, it’s best to lay out the tiles before you begin securing them in place. This makes sure that if you choose to re-jig the pattern or placement, you can do so before anything is stuck down and harder to move.

You’ll also need to bear in mind the direction the tiles will be laid in. All of our tiles have arrows on the bottom which advise you on which way they are to be laid. You will need to ensure all of the tiles are facing the same way in order to minimise the joins and seams.

How to Fit Carpet Tiles

Once you’ve laid out your carpet tiles and done the necessary preparation, you can begin to lay the tiles and secure them into place. We recommend using a tackifier adhesive as it will keep the tiles securely in place, but it will enable you to pull up any damaged tiles and replace them with spares from the 10% wastage you ordered alongside your tiles.

It really is that simple! If you have further questions about how to lay carpet tiles, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.