When shopping for carpet tile, you’ll need to think about where you plan to install them. The tiles will vary in density as well as thickness. Carpet tiles with more thickness offer greater cushioning making them a good choice for living areas such as a playroom or family room.  For rooms such as an office, gym, or other high traffic area the thinner carpet tile is usually best. Carpet tiles made from foam, rubber, linoleum, and vinyl are a good choice for children’s rooms, office spaces, or other high traffic areas. All carpet tile provides a degree of thermal insulation.

Carpet tile offers several advantages when compared to broad loom wall to wall carpet:

• A property owner can install carpet tile themselves. Unlike wall to wall carpet if you mess up a tile you do not mess up the whole roll of carpet. Tiles are easier to install then stretch in carpet and easier to transport.
• Tiles are very durable as well, and will last longer than most types of carpet even when they are used in high traffic areas.
• Carpet tile is easy to maintain and will last a long time. Carpet tile cleaning is just as easy as it is on other wall to wall carpet.
• When an area becomes damaged it is easy to replace damaged tiles as long as you have kept a few extra carpet tiles on hand.
• Unlike stretch in carpet, many tiles’ can be installed on hard surfaces, such as hardwood floor, stone, concrete, or ceramic tile without damage to the existing flooring as long as the surface is smooth and clean.
• Carpet tiles will normally have cushion or padding attached, which will reduce the cost and extend the life of the carpet.

There are carpet tiles available to fit each and every taste, budget and furnishings style as well.  As less expensive tiles are available they will offer you the opportunity to experiment with your interior. The cost for the tiles will depend on their thickness, density, material and backing, which means that the prices can range from a dollar per square foot to several dollars per square foot.

As you can see your choice with carpet tile is almost limitless giving you an attractive, easy to maintain, easy to install, long lasting floor covering for your home, office or most any type of business.

As wonderful as carpet tile is there may be a time that you experience a concern with an order of carpet tile just as you might with any other floor covering product. Should this situation ever occur, Certified Carpet Inspectors such as Kevin Weinheimer and Terry Weinheimer of The Weinheimer Group LLC are available to evaluate, identify and find resolutions for your carpet tile concerns!

Today’s most popular choices of carpet are tufted loop pile and tufted cut pile.  With a loop pile the yarn is tufted or pulled through the backing of the carpet creating a loop. With cut pile carpet the loop is tufted or pulled through the back and the loop is cut which leaves the cut ends standing erect.

Many people consider cut pile carpet to be more stylish and a looped carpet to be more casual.  Cut piles come in many styles, such as shag, textured, saxony, and velvet.  Loop pile choices include Berber, cable, or sisal.  For high traffic areas, loop pile is an excellent choice.

One of the factors with choosing your carpet is the cost.  For years wool carpet has been considered the hallmark for style. Unfortunately a good quality wool carpet is more expensive than most of us can afford. Manufactures have made it a practice to emulate wool in many of their synthetic products creating a good looking and good performing product an affordable costs.

Synthetic carpet yarns are available in continuous filament and spun yarns. While a spun yarn will look more like wool it will also shed more. Many people find their vacuum bags and canisters filling up with carpet fuzz. This is normally because the carpet is manufactured from a spun yarn and is a normal characteristic and not a defect.

If you are able to afford good quality wool carpeting you’ll find that even though it costs more to purchase and install, it will prove to be far more superior to any other type of carpeting.  While there is some wonderful man made carpet fiber that come close to the durability, rich look, or even the feel of wool they still have a ways to go before they are perfected to the quality of a wool carpet which can both last and look good for 30 years or more.

Acrylic carpeting is very similar in appearance to wool, and sometimes referred to as manmade wool.  It is resistant to moisture, fading, mildew, crushing, and staining, although it isn’t recommended for high traffic areas.

Nylon carpeting is also popular, as it is recommended for high traffic areas.  Nylon is one of the most expensive types of synthetic fibers, although it is still cheaper than wool.

Olefin is a low cost carpet material, often used for indoor or outdoor carpeting.  Olefin is colorfast and strong, very easy to clean.  One of the draw backs to olefin is that it can easily be crushed.

Another consideration you’ll have is the color and patterns of the carpet.  Light carpeting colors help to create a spacious effect, making the room appear to be larger.  Since light color carpet reflects light it will show soil and foot prints easier than your darker colors.

When looking for soil hiding qualities for homes with pets and children your darker colors are usually a better choice. Fortunately there are many choices in dark colors, which is great for those interested in style.  Dark colors are ideal for stains or pets, as they don’t show soiled areas near as much as light colored carpets.

Don’t let the fact that a carpet has been treated for stain resistance make you comfortable in selecting a light colored carpet. If you have children and pets and must have a lighter colored carpet be prepared for the extra care when it comes to stains and spots.

Warmth

Carpet is the best choice you can make for your bedroom, family room, and other areas where you need warmth underfoot.

Insulation

Both carpet and carpet padding will provide an extra layer of much needed insulation between the floors of your home.  Depending on the density and weight of the carpet, it contributes to the R-value of your home, which adds to the energy efficiency as well.

Safety

Carpet offers a slip resistant surface that will prevent accidents along with a natural cushion in the event of someone falling.  For young children and the elderly, this is very important.

Reduction in sound

Carpet will also reduce noise better than any other type of flooring.  Carpet works to dampen noise in three ways:

1.  Reduces surface noise from foot traffic

2.  Absorbs airborne sound

3.  Blocks transmission of sound These qualities are valuable in apartments as well as semi-detached homes.

Surface

Adding carpet to a room can also disguise any existing damage to the floor and also hide any other problems such as warped floors.  The thicker density the carpet is, the more problems it will be able to hide.

Easy to care for

The carpets of today are more stain resistant than they have ever been in the past, which makes cleaning even the worst possible spills easier than ever.  No matter type of spill it may be, there is always a way to clean it up.

Clean air

Research has proven that carpet can indeed improve the quality of air by trapping allergy causing dust and allergens if it is properly cleaned and maintained.

Variety of use

Carpets aren’t only for floors anymore, which is a really great thing.  You can easily add carpet to steps, stairs, walls, posts, and other non level surfaces, without having to worry about it slipping, lifting, or buckling.

Flexibility

Carpet is the primary foundation in almost any room.  Because it is available in a variety of different colors and textures, it helps to create an unlimited number of possibilities for decorating.  From the neutral tones to rich solids, carpet is the first step you can take to make your home look better than ever.

Low cost

Carpet doesn’t cost a lot of money, as it offers an economical alternative to the other types of expensive flooring.  Even with professional installation, you won’t pay near as much as you would for hard surfaces.  Unlike hard surfaces, carpet can keep you comfortable if you decide to lay down on it.

Life span

The carpets of today are very durable and can outlast most other types of flooring available on the market.  All you have to do is select a type of carpet that has a life span of 5 – 30 years or more, which is very common now days.

Warranty

With most manufacturers, you can get great warranties with your carpet purchase.  This way, you’ll be protected when you install your new carpet.  Once installed, all you have to do is enjoy it – as the warranty will ensure that you are very well protected.