Mar 19 2009
Are Cheap Carpet Tiles Worth It?
There are many cheap carpet tiles on the market. They come in a wide variety of colors and styles. The question is, are cheap tiles worth it? A cheap investment can quickly become very expensive if you find out that carpet you purchased to save a few bucks was of such a low quality it is virtually useless. This rule does not apply to just carpets. You never want to make the mistake of under spending on any item. In the case of carpets this problem could be made worse if you did not realize the flooring you purchased was so far below your standards until after you installed it. This would of course require it to be uninstalled not just wiping out any cost saving benefit you were trying to achieve in the first place, but actually adding cost on top of it in terms of lost time to complete the job properly.
So how do you determine whether or not that cheap tile is worth it? The first thing you should do is only purchase the tile from a company you know and trust or is recommended by a reputable source. A company with a knowledgeable sales staff is a good indicator of their quality as well. The trust part is very important because an untrustworthy flooring company might try to sell you cheap flooring just to get you to buy it even if it is not very good or is not ideal for your situation. On the other hand, they might try to sell you a carpet tile that is far more expensive than is necessary for your situation. The knowledgeable sales staff aspect is important for the exact same reasons. If they do not know their products very well, they might end up recommending the wrong carpet to you. Working with someone who will take the time to find out exactly what your needs are is your best bet. By finding a good carpet company you will likely be able to determine through your conversations with them if that cheap tile you are looking at is not worth, or is simply a good buy.
The next thing that you will need to do is consider the rooms that the carpet tiles will be going into. One very important question you need to answer is how much traffic is going to be on these floors. Picking the least expensive carpet tiles may not be the best choice for heavy trafficked rooms. The cheaper tiles are usually much thinner than the more expensive ones which greatly reduces their lifespan. If traffic on these tiles is too high they may not last nearly long enough to really justify the expense. Keep in mind, however, that the life of modular carpet systems can be extended by swapping tiles in heavy traffic areas for tiles in low traffic areas. This creates an even wear on all the tiles and maximizes the life of the flooring material. With this in mind it becomes a balancing act between the cost of the tiles, their expected lifespan, and how long you can stretch out this lifespan through tile swapping. Keep in mind that when you are shopping for cheap carpet tiles your goal is to find the flooring that will give you the longest life for the least amount of cost. You do not want to purchase a tile that needs to be replaced every year for $1 per square foot when you could have purchased a tile that will last four years for $2 per square foot. Do not be misled by the per square foot price alone. In the example, above the first tile is cheaper by the foot, but more expensive by the year making the $2 per square foot the cheapest overall option if you wanted your floor to last for more than 2 years.
One final element you should consider when looking for cheaper tiles is that the more the cost goes down the more obvious the seams of tiles will often become. You will not be able to pass cheap tile off as more expensive. Keep this in mind and limit the use of cheap tiles to rooms where the impact of the flooring does not matter.
If you have taken the time to assess your needs properly, and have chosen a reputable company that is committed to serving your individual needs, then cheap carpet tiles can be an excellent choice for large low budget projects.
