Carpet Tiles Vs Broadloom Carpet – Pros and Cons
If it comes to building or renovating a commercial office space, the type of flooring you pick can have a tremendous impact not simply on the office setting but also on the way your customers see your business.
With so many flooring options possible, how do you know what’s best for you? A struggle often faced by most business owners is should I go carpet tiles or broadloom carpet?
Both give adequate noise reduction, are soft underfoot, and appear in a wide range of colours, designs and textures which can be customised to accommodate your space. Nothing really holds out apart from one remaining tiled and the other in a 12-foot roll.
For those that are grappling to find what’s best for your commercial space, read on as we explain the truth about Carpet Tiles vs Broadloom Carpet.
Of the two choices, the broadloom carpet is more traditional and, perhaps, more generally used in large corporate locations. It appears with many design choices, including patterns, colours, even mosaics, and appears in large rolled-up pieces waiting to be cut to size for fitting.
Broadloom carpet
Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of a broadloom carpet is that it can promptly and easily cover a large office space with one intricate design, wall-to-wall. It is simply placed over a separate underlay among the floor slab and the carpet, which can produce a softer covering under your feet.
Nevertheless, its largest benefit is also its greatest downfall when it comes to fixing. If an area becomes irreversibly corrupted by moisture, mould or mildew, the whole carpet must be removed and replaced to fully fix it.
Pros
- Endless design opportunities. Create and inspire sophistication with modern broadloom carpet designs and decorations.
- Softer under the feet than carpet tiles. Thanks to the extra padding, known as the underlay, broadloom carpet can give more cushion underfoot.
- More affordable than carpet tiles. Broadloom carpet is usually cheaper per square foot than carpet tiles but depends on the layout and shape of office space.
- Hidden stitchings. Unlike tiled carpet, broadloom appears in a 12-foot roll and is installed wall-to-wall for a seamless surface. Any spaces where broadloom seams meet are sealed with a chemical to look like a singular piece.
Cons
- It can be more wasteful. Because broadloom carpet requires to be cut to fit the size of a room, the method of cutting down large pieces, especially the underlay, can create more waste through installation.
- It can be more expensive. The cost of redundant or unused materials can sometimes negate the savings.
- It takes longer to install. The carpet underlay must be installed primarily accompanied by the carpet. The carpet must then be cut to fill the room along with all seams precisely sealed.
- It’s tough to repair and replace. Unlike its counterpart, wherever a tile damaged past repair can be easily removed and replaced, the whole carpet may require to be removed, including the underlay.
Carpet Tiles
As the name implies, carpet tiles are pre-cut, square-shaped sections of carpet that have been produced to be directly installed on the floor, just like porcelain tiles.
One of the benefits of carpet tiles is that the underlay is built-in. This eradicates the need for a separate underlay to be installed, efficiently reducing cost, labour and fast-tracking your schedules.
It is remarkably low maintenance, with damaged tiles simply and quickly removed to be cleaned or replaced. Replacement tiles can be stored efficiently, needing minimal space.
Carpet tiles offer a wide assortment of design options and can give particular designs that broadloom struggles to cost-effectively copy, including checkered patterns or textured designs.
Some disadvantages of carpet tiles are design limitations and cost. While tiles open up several design possibilities that broadloom is incapable of achieving, they may not be suitable for certain spaces, such as larger patterns or mosaic styles in a large office space or area.
Pros
- Quick and simple to install. Since carpet tiles are previously pre-cut to size and possess a built-in underlay, they are much quicker and less complicated to install.
- Customisable designs. The design options are limitless when you have the power to pick your own pattern.
- Choose to lay tiles in a norm, checkered manner or experiment till you find a visually charming design that satisfies your space.
- Low maintenance. Any stained or spoiled pieces past repair can be quickly and easily replaced without altering the rest of your flooring.
Cons
- More costly than broadloom. Easy to fit, pre-cut pieces with a built-in underlay will begin at a higher cost.
- Visible seams. Because the tiles are only placed next to each other as opposed to being chemically sealed and treated, the seams remain visually distinct. Still, it may not necessarily be a negative point if a checkered pattern or texture is something you’re after.
- Not as soft under your feet. With built-in underlays, carpet tiles do not give as much cushioning as the separate padding utilised with broadloom carpet.
To be perfectly honest, there is no winner here. Ultimately, it comes down to your commercial space layout needs and your funds. If you’re after a beneficial design that blends seamlessly with your large office space, then broadloom is the way to go. If you’re requiring a little more customisation and grasp the fact that damaged tiles are going to happen, carpet tiles are most suitable for you.
If you’re still undecided, why not speak to the friendly staff at CarpetAce In Melbourne. One of our carpet tiles professionals will work with you to find a flooring solution that satisfies your commercial requirements.
