The Post-It Place

There are so many things to consider when looking at flooring options. Where to even start?? One of the big considerations in our house is price. Price of the flooring, materials needed to install the flooring, do we need to hire someone to install the flooring? It can really add up quickly!

One of the BEST flooring options we have found…Carpet Tiles. Ohhh my, I love them. They are easy to install, so easy in fact that even I can do it. They are affordable. No crazy tools needed to install it. They are easy to maintain and clean. And they are DURABLE! We visited Carpet Bargains, made our selections and got started. Since Carpet Bargains is local to me we were able to go in and see the selection in person before making our final decisions. But if you are’t local and would like to see and feel what a particular color looks like you can order samples and their customer service is SUPERB. They will help you make a choice that is right for the area you want it to go in. They have tiles for both residential and commercial buildings and they have different backing options…even some that are peel and stick.

Look at that backing! That means, no ruined and stinky padding. That means spills are easy to mop up. That means that if you clean spills up in a reasonable time it won’t ruin your sub-floor!

There are so many advantages that I have found to carpet tiles, all of which were HUGE pluses to us. Carpet tiles comes in MANY, MANY different styles and colors, making it easy to find something that will go with your decor and the feel of your home. I chose a darker color because we have a lot of traffic through here, we have 3 dogs and we have teens. While the carpet tiles are super easy to clean and most spills will not stain…I didn’t want to have to vacuum every day. You Mom’s know what I am talking about…you get that dreaded call from a friend in the area that would just love to drop by and see you…Oh, and they are going to be there in 5 minutes. That means all the dirty dishes go in the oven, the dirty clothes stashed in the closet and all the clutter and toys go under the bed, air freshener sprayed and there is no time to sweep or vacuum. Oh PLEASE, don’t give me that look, we have all been there. And I seem to find myself there quite often. So, I chose something darker, so if I have company showing up I could get away without trying to vacuum a whole room in 60 seconds flat.

Since it’s inception over 25 years ago, carpet tile has been the flooring of choice for extreme high traffic areas, such as airports, restaurants, hospitals, etc. Carpet tiles will outwear conventional carpet at least 2 to 1! And that folks is how it stole my heart.

In addition to being extremely durable, carpet tiles offer the distinct advantage of easy spot replacement. If an area is damaged, simply lift out the damaged carpet tile and trade it with an extra one left over from installation or one from a less obvious place – under a desk, sofa, or other less visible area. Check out my video later in the post to see just how easy they are to clean and replace…but lets talk about the ease of installation first.

To install carpet tiles you simply have to remove the old flooring. Making sure to pull up any staples, tacks, etc.

Once that is done, clean the sub-flooring very well. All of the dust and debris has to be gone. If there are any pits or uneven surfaces you are going to want to fill with putty and let dry completely or if they are raised you will need to sand them down.

Pick your starting point…and get started. We contemplated doing a basket weave style before I saw this particular pattern. If we had stuck with our original choice we would have needed to start in the middle of the room and worked out. But because of the style we chose as our final pick we could start on one side. Another great plus to these are that the seams don’t show once they are all in and have been walked on a little, or vacuumed.

To keep the tiles in place we are using the glue that was recommended by the manufacturer. It is a spray on adhesive and super easy to use. Spray a little in each of the 4 corners and a dot in the middle and simply stick the tile where it needs to go. Seriously!! I told you it was easy! The back even has arrows so you will know which way to place the tile so that the pattern all runs the same way. It is really hard to mess this up.

When you get to the opposite edge of where you started, you may need to cut some pieces to fit. All you will need for that is a straight edge ruler and a utility knife.

And…you are done! We got completely finished in ONE day. That was moving the furniture out, removing the old carpet, prepping the floor, installing the new carpet tiles and placing the furniture back in the room.We didn’t have to pay anyone to install it. We didn’t have to buy special tools.

Now, what happens if you spill something? Or need to replace a tile? Well, let me show you how easy and quick it is to clean or make repairs:

Please note that we used straight bleach in the video. The manufacturer does not recommend using straight bleach but a 10 to 20 percent bleach solution to clean with. That will be more than sufficient to get out most stains. I just wanted to show that if an accident with bleach happens, so long as you get it up your tiles should be ok. Some lightening may occur if it sits for a long period of time. You can find out more about Carpet Tiles and see colors and styles by visiting www.carpetbargains.com or www.bestcarpetvalue.com. You can also follow them on Facebook to stay updated on new arrivals and news.

“I was provided with a promotional product to help facilitate this post. All opinions are my own and we couldn’t be happier with the carpet tiles that we installed in our home!”