Carpet Tiles or Broadloom — Which Is the Better Choice for Your Commercial Space?

A broadloom is defined as a carpet woven on a wide loom. A broadloom carpet is commonly shipped in 12-foot wide large rolls and is most commonly used for wall-to-wall carpeting in commercial applications.

Carpet tiles (also called modular carpets or carpet squares) are exactly what they sound like — square, modular tiles of carpeting that come with integrated backing material and base. In recent years, carpet tiles have enjoyed growing popularity in high-traffic commercial applications in NYC.

Design

Thanks to the sheer variety of broadloom carpet types (which range from intricately patterned and colored traditional carpets to carpets with expressive modern designs), there is plenty of room for creative expression.

The modular structure of commercial carpet tiles, on the other hand, allows for an almost endless level of creative design flexibility without compromising the flooring's ability to perform its desired function. Tiles can be quarter-turned to create a checkerboard appearance; you can use different tiles and patterns to create exciting and distinctive spaces that simply cannot be achieved with rolled-out carpets.

Installation

With either flooring option, the most important thing is the quality of the installation. It is crucial to choose patterns that are appropriate for the application and cover any imperfections. For example, if a broadloom carpet with a checkerboard design is used to cover a long hallway, it will be easy to see whether or not the carpet was correctly laid since the eye naturally follows the pattern. For an application of this type, a pattern that is either more complex — or none at all — would be the best option.

Because broadlooms are often laid over a carpet pad, there is no need to fix minor imperfections in the subfloor — which refers to the structural floor itself — before installation. On the other hand, carpet tiles are mounted directly to the subfloor. This means that any imperfections in the flooring need to be fixed before the tiles are installed because they might affect the placement and longevity of the tile itself. Installing carpet tiles is made easier since an underlay material is not required. Carpet tiles can even be installed in a room without moving any furniture around.

Appearance

Precise tile spacing and alignment are necessary to minimize the appearance of visible seams and pattern shifts and prevent the edges of the tiles from curling or spreading apart. You should not expect carpet tiles to look like a single piece of flooring in the same way that broadloom carpeting will because even with expert installation, carpet tiles will still show at least some seams and pattern variances.

Durability

Quality commercial carpets in NYC with moisture barrier backing provide superior durability and exceptional resistance to stains in most commercial applications. Chemical welding can give the impression of being virtually seamless, and the wide number of design options allows a great deal of room for creative expression. Broadloom gives commercial spaces a warm and inviting look, and when paired with the right underlay material, it can be made to feel wonderfully plush underfoot.

The carpeting on carpet tiles is glued directly to the hard vinyl backing material, so carpet tiles naturally produce a strong moisture barrier. Carpet tile is a rational choice for high-traffic commercial applications because of its flexibility to have individual tiles repaired or replaced if they get damaged or soiled and its ability to be rotated from lower-traffic areas into higher-traffic areas. In addition, the installation of carpet tiles results in less waste since there is no underlay material to cut and because smaller parts of cut tiles can be used in other places.

212Carpet.com is a family owned business that has been in the floor covering industry for over 28 years.