Carpet tiles are an excellent choice for busy stairs. You may have even decided to place them in areas where hardwood or tile transitions to carpeting. Since carpet tiles are secured individually, there is more damage potential. Turn this seeming disadvantage into an advantage by making this feature work in your favor. Learn how to maintain and fix carpet tiles like a pro — perhaps even before installing your first one!
Keep a Supply of Carpet Tiles on Hand
There will come a time when you need to pull up one of the used tiles and replace it. Having floor tiles from the same dye lot on hand makes blending it in a lot simpler.
The work-around: If you do not have another tile from the same dye lot on hand, go ahead and buy one that comes close. Then replace the broken floor tile with another intact tile from an inconspicuous or dark area of the room. Replace that tile with the new one.
Clean Carpet Tiles the Right Way
Vacuum frequently but do not treat the carpet tiles with a steamer. The hot steam may loosen the adhesive that holds these floor tiles in place. Commercially available carpet sprays — applied individually to each tile — allow for an overall cleanup of the surface areas.
The work-around: If a tile is too heavily soiled and not even spot treatments remove the dirt, go ahead and remove the tile in question. Install another tile in its place. This is one of the many advantages that carpet floor tiles offer over conventional wall-to-wall carpeting.
Fixing Loose Edges
Double-sided carpet tape is an essential item to keep in your tool box. If the adhesive of a floor tile gets loose, gently pull back the piece of floor as far as it will go. Apply the double-sided tape and press the tile back into place.
The work-around: If you are installing carpet tiles on stairs, consider adding stair noses to the steps. They prevent a loosening of the outward facing tread edge and apply pressure to the tiles as well.
Dealing with Moving Tiles
If a number of carpet floor tiles are loosening and moving around, there is a good chance that you may have overlooked something in the preparation phase of your project. Was there dust leftover from sanding the flooring? Did some debris remain in place when you started to install the tiles? Did you forget to use a non-solvent based sealer on concrete floors prior to applying the carpet tiles? There is no workaround in this instance. One or two moving floor tiles may be secured with double-sided carpet tape. If a number of carpet tiles are moving — particularly if they are located in one general area — you need to redo the project.
