Choosing The Right Carpet Tile

How to choose the right carpet tile

Choosing the Right Tile

It’s fairly easy to choose a carpet tile based on what it looks like, because as long as you like the colour and it ‘feels’ okay - job done!

Choosing the ‘right’ carpet tile for your space is about much more than just what the tile looks like. You need to know how it’s been made and what it’s been made of, because that will tell you whether it’s going to last and still look good.

If you’re putting a few tiles down in your garage to keep the dust from the concrete floor at bay, then it isn’t going to really matter what the tile is made of. But If you’re having an upgrade in your offices and reception, it’s more vital to get it right so you don’t waste your money by having to replace the flooring in a year’s time.

Nylon or Polypropylene

Carpet tiles are usually made of either nylon or polypropylene. Nylon fibre has a memory, so the pile is able to spring back up but polypropylene fibre doesn’t have a memory, so will stay ‘flat’. Nylon tiles will usually cost more but because they last longer, they can be the best value.

Domestic Use, Commercial Uses, Heavy Contract Use

These are terms used to describe the ideal end-use of a certain tile. The difference between the categories of tiles is that the more durable ones have a higher ‘tuft density’ and ‘pile weight’ per metre. Put simply, the thicker the fibre and the more of it there is in each tile, the higher the tile rating will be. But the more tufts, the heavier the pile, the more expensive the tile - our advice is to look at your budget and buy the best tile you can afford.

Two Ways A Fibre Can Be Dyed

A carpet tile fibre can be dyed in two ways. Either ‘solution dyed’ or ‘space dyed’. A solution dyed fibre is dyed all the way through the yarn (much like a carrot) but a space dyed fibre is dyed only on the outside of the yarn (much like a cucumber). So choose a solution dyed tile if you want to be able to clean your tiles regularly but don’t want to be rubbing the colour out of them!

Castor Chairs and Carpet Tiles

If you use castor chairs, you must check that the specification includes the ‘castor chair’ symbol. If it doesn’t, your new carpet tiles will be chewed up by the castors in no time and look truly terrible.

Guarantees

Some tiles come with a 5 year guarantee, some with 10 years and some with a massive 15 years. For the manufacturers to offer these warranties proves they are more than confident that the tiles are constructed to perform well. So check the guarantee on the tile you’re looking at and that will help guide you to make the right choice.

Summary

Ask yourself the following:

• How busy is your space?
• How clean is it?
• How many years do you want your tiles to last?
• Do you or your staff use castor chairs?

And by using the information in this article you’ll be confident that you’re able to choose the ‘right’ tile for the job. Let us know if you want any advice, we’re just on the end of the phone 0115 940 4454 or email ash@carpettilewholesale.co.uk