Are carpet tiles as good as carpeting?

[oceanauk]

I'm moving shortly and being a single mum have very limited funding to redecorate - I'm moving into a house which will need complete top to bottom decorating - however instead of carpeting, was thinking of carpet tiles as a cheaper option but just wondered if they really are worth it in the long run? Would appreciate any ideas or comments from people who have used them! Thanks very much.

[malaise]

Hi. Where I work (a care home) they have carpet tiles. In the short term they may be a cheap alternative but a year or so down the line and your kids will be tearing them up and tripping over them. They don't wear very well and look grubby (and also don't come in very appealing colours / textures). We're now in the process of changing all the carpet tiles over to vinyl flooring.
If you're on a budget, check carpet shops for roll-ends: they do fantastic deals on these just to get rid of the stock!

[tinkertontom]

we have had carpet tiles for about a year now and although they are the hard wearing ones I definatly wouldn't reccomend them I really wish we had a got a proper carpet

[mimififi]

if you have floorboards, you could paint/varnish them after a sand and then just put down rugs etc and replace with carpets as and when you can.

I sometimes think that really cheap carpet, tiles or roll is a false economy. You can't wash it, it stains like Billy O and is just as thin as thin.

good luck with your plans. I have been in a similar position to you in the past, a long time ago, and it is hard, but so worth it.

[Sparkles3]

For rooms that don't get used too often, you could consider the cheaper laminate flooring. We have it in two bedrooms with a couple of small rugs. It is quite easy to lay (make sure you leave the required small gap around the edges for expansion though) and can make a room look nice and open. Not really suitable for your main rooms though, you need the more expensive stuff for harder wear.

No experience of carpet tiles I'm afraid. Good luck with your plans, sure it will be lovely in the end!

[Sparkles3]

To clarify, we have it in our bedroom and our daughter's bedroom - rooms that are used a couple of times a day. Not in our lounge or hall that gets walked on far more.

When re-reading, sounded like we have a mansion with several guest bedrooms suitable for laminate - sadly not the case lol!!!

[oceanauk]

Thank you everybody for taking the time to reply - that's great and given me lots to think about!!

[Solarjunkie]

We have carpet tiles in the living room, they've been down about nine years & still look fine. They were commercial ones though so I don't know how well the domestic ones wear. If anything is spilt, you can just pick up one tile & scrub it under the sink - brilliant. You can also change round the more used ones with the less used ones.

Oh, and we also have them in five other rooms in the house including the kitchen & the bathroom - they are ideal in the last two rooms because they can be washed, swept or vacuumed, and are warm on your bare feet!

[pops91710]

Well, there are carpet tiles and then there are carpet tiles. The best I have ever used is Heuga. http://www.heuga.com/InterfShoppingDisplay/uk/ trail/shopping

We use their office styles and also their commercial grades in the supers around the vegetable/produce areas to prevent slip and fall accidents. Check out the link above.

[Opagh]

Hi Oceanauk

Carpet tiels are not really used in the house, they are not comfortable on feet etc. For the price of the tiles, you could go to Carpetright and get something fairly cheap and cheerful. I would keep the colour on the darker side tho' rather than a cream or beige carpet because as mimififi said, they do stain easy, depends on the quality of carpet.

Keep the cost down too by getting a Feltback or Actionback carpet, if your floors are ok under the carpet then no need for underfelt... the carpet has it;s own

Opagh

[oceanauk]

Thanks pops91710 - I was looking at the Heuga tiles - and thanks for that link - the design ideas are great - thats another thing I like about them - fab patterns to create!! So Opagh what do you think then? They certainly can be used in a house as Solarjunkie stated too - and great if any need to be cleaned/replaced!! Bonus! Will definately be giving the idea a good think! Thank you everybody!