Carpet Tile - How to Save Money

Carpet Tiles and Squares are a recent trend but not quite fully understood by the general public. They were created to offer a quick and simple replacement flooring option for high traffic areas when an area became stained, worn or dirty. The squares could be pulled up and a new one down re-installed with double faced tape or a small bit of glue. The concept was well received and became popular overnight. The trend even made way into the residential consumer market as a great DIY (Do-It-Yourself) project for homeowners. Squares and carpet tiles were now showing up not only in hotels, offices, restaurants etc, but also in playrooms, bonus rooms, home offices, basements and bedrooms. Carpet Tiles and squares are quite simply the easiest flooring option to install but they aren't always the least costly option. If you’re not careful, some first quality tiles can end up costing more than the total price of carpet, padding and installation. This is the point most consumers looking to purchase carpet squares go wrong. If you're thinking about using carpet tiles and squares, be sure to look at seconds, off goods and promotional carpet tiles! These will not only be a breeze to install, but can also offer a lower total cost for the project than most any other floorcovering solution.

So you’re asking "What is an off good or second in carpet tiles?" A tile that cannot be sold as first quality product, will be considered a second, third, or general off good. These descriptions mean several things but here is a simplified explanation of what causes a tile or square to be a second or off good.

-If the carpet square has a pattern and the pattern is somewhat skewed, off center, or has an irregular design.

-If the tile or square is a solid color but the color doesn’t match factory tolerances or may have a streak that is darker or lighter than the rest of the product.

-Occasionally you may see a plush design tile that has a thin, odd looking line. This line is caused where the machinery did not correctly cut the loop in the carpet as it was intended to.

-Sometimes you will get a tile that has some irregularities in the integral backing. In most cases, this doesn’t cause a problem. If you have a tile that does have a backing issue, simply cut the bad or unusable part off and use the rest or you can use it as the tile that is on the outside next to the wall or in a closet!

-If the built in backing or padding is starting to separate from the carpet square, this will cause a tile to be a second or third quality. Sometimes this can be as easy as using a little glue in the spot where it is separating. If it is a severe amount, just cut the bad part out and use the remainder against the wall or again maybe in a closet or a spot that will be hidden by furniture.

A great tip to remember when using off goods or seconds in carpet tiles and squares is to buy some extra (maybe 15% or so), but to also consider using two or three different color tiles. You can create a neat checkerboard look that will really add style to the room as well as hide blemishes in any of the tiles. If you use only one style but have pattern issues, set the carpet tiles at a 90 degree pattern angle to hide the irregularities! It will also make the slight seam appear more natural.