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Step 1
Look for attached padding. Many styles include carpet pad on the back of the tile, reducing the need for installing additional padding. Attached padding makes the installation process easier.
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Step 2
Draw a layout of the area you will carpet on graph paper, allowing a square on the paper to represent a tile square. Plan your tile pattern so no tiles will need cutting in very thin strips. Purchase enough additional tiles to achieve laying them with balanced cuts.
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Step 3
Ask the sales person if you will need extra glue or underlayment to install the tile. If your bare floor is very uneven, you must prepare it first with an application of underlayment or floor leveling compound before installing the new carpet tiles. Figure that cost into your final price.
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Step 4
Read the manufacturer's instructions to determine if there is a pattern you need to follow when laying the carpet. Buy extra tiles to accommodate repeating patterns as necessary.
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Step 5
Purchase extra tiles for future replacement purposes. Besides ease of installation, the major selling point of carpet tiles is the fact that you can replace only 1 or 2 if staining occurs. Buying additional tiles now assures you will have enough on hand in the future. Manufacturers often discontinue carpeting lines and if you wait until you need to replace one, you may not find an exact match.
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Step 6
Compare prices against professionally-installed carpeting. Buyers often choose carpet tiles to save money on professional installation but some styles with attached padding are expensive. Compare the cost of the tiles against professional installation of carpet and pad before buying.
