Carpet and carpet tiles: how modular flooring works

What carpet tiles are

A carpet tile is a piece of carpet made to a fixed module on its own backing. Flooring maker Forbo gives two common formats in its Tessera range: square tiles of 50 × 50 cm and planks of 100 × 25 cm.

The face of the tile comes in two broad families. Tufted carpet tiles have a pile, and Forbo lists loop pile, multi-height loop pile, cut and loop, and microtuft constructions. Needlefelt tiles have no pile; Forbo describes its Needlefelt Forte tiles as polyamide fibres held with a latex binder on a fibre backing. Some ranges add a cushioned layer under the backing, which Forbo calls SOFTbac, for better sound absorption and comfort underfoot; for treating echo on walls and ceilings, see acoustic sound panels.

Carpet tiles or roll carpet

The case for tiles over a roll is modularity. Forbo lists the gains: faster installation, less waste, damaged or stained tiles replaced one by one, tiles swapped around to spread wear, and easy access to cables and services under the floor. Forbo pitches the format at open-plan offices whose layout changes often.

The trade-off is the joints. Forbo’s installation note says plainly that tile edges are most visible in a new floor and may stay visible in areas with little traffic, even when the tiles are laid in one direction. The word “broadloom” in a tile brochure describes that one-direction layout; it does not promise a floor without visible joints.

Laying patterns for carpet tiles

Every tile carries arrows on its back showing the direction of the pile, and the pattern depends on how those arrows are turned. Forbo’s installation note shows these options:

Laying patterns for carpet tiles

Format	Pattern	How the tiles sit
Tiles	Monolithic	all arrows the same way, ideally towards the main light
Tiles	Quarter turn	each tile turned 90° to its neighbour, a chequerboard of pile direction
Tiles	Tessellated	mixed directions, as drawn in the note
Tiles	Brick, half drop, quarter brick	rows offset like brickwork
Planks	Monolithic, half drop brick	long runs in one direction
Planks	Herringbone, double herringbone, weave	planks set at right angles in a zigzag or basket pattern

Which patterns suit a particular design is given in each range’s sample book.

Subfloor and installation rules

Carpet tiles follow the floor under them. The Forbo Tessera installation guidance of December 2022 sets these conditions:

1. Subfloor. Smooth, sound, clean and permanently dry. A cement screed must show residual moisture below 75% under the test the note refers to, and be flat within 3 mm under a 2 m straightedge.
2. Old floors. Remove PVC floor coverings, whose plasticiser can make carpet tiles unstable, and preferably wood block floors too.
3. Climate. Keep the room at a steady 18–27°C for 48 hours before, during and 24 hours after laying.
4. Acclimatisation. Open the boxes, stack them no more than six high and leave them for at least 24 hours, or 48 hours if they were stored below 10°C.
5. Adhesive. Spread a high-grab tackifier over the whole floor, prime very absorbent screeds first, and wait until the tackifier dries to a clear, tacky film before laying.
6. Fitting. Butt tiles tightly without forcing them, fit cuts at walls without pressure, and keep pile from getting trapped in the joints.
7. Underfloor heating. The subfloor surface must stay at or below 27°C.

Stairs are a separate case: the same note asks for a permanent adhesive on treads and a nosing on every step.

Carpet and tile in one building

Where carpet tiles go in some rooms and hard tiles in others, the two floors meet at a threshold. For the hard-floor areas, Kitovu has the Beige Porcelain Tile 1200 × 600 mm, Matt Anti-Slip R10 in stock in Zanzibar, with a granular matt surface. How to choose floor tiles by room is covered under floor tiles, and timber floors under wooden flooring. Kitovu does not sell carpet or carpet tiles.