Carpet tiles were once upon a time considered to be the height of fashion and practicality, combining both the appearance of a carpet with the usability and flexibility required for DIY fitting. Resembling slabs of carpet, carpet tiles come in a variety of sizes and styles and are great for covering tricky shaped floorspaces or replacing a carpet quickly and easily. Over their traditional counterparts, carpet tiles can be fitted by just about anybody and don't need stretching or kicking. As such they have proven to be both practical and popular for a number of decades as the quick answer to floor covering with style.

One of the most obvious advantages of carpet tiles is that they don't require to be professionally fitted. Fitting a traditional one-piece carpet is a difficult process and one that requires skill and dexterity - it's no wonder carpet fitters can command such a high rate for their work, given the intricacies involved. Rather than having to go through the hassle and expense of having a carpet fitted, carpet tiles can be thrown down in an instance to resemble a quality laid carpet without the problems of installation. For this reasons, they have found particular favour with DIY enthusiasts and those working on a budget.

Another advantage of carpet tiles is that because of their size and versatility, they can be laid easily to fit more complex room layouts. Traditionally, this would require even more of the carpet fitters time and consequently more of your money, with no guarantees of a good finish. However because carpet tiles can easily be cut to fit and the laying process is individualised around each tile rather than with one large carpet, the process is made much easier and becomes much less of a headache.

On the downside, however carpet tiles don't always appear to be a cohesive singular carpet, and the disjointed look might not be suitable for use in living areas or in customer facing offices. Similarly with age tiles can pull around the edges creating a further uneven appearance. Having said that, many buyers find that the positive aspects of carpeting with tiles (including the price) mean that it is a more favourable option to the traditional method of choosing a print and material from your local carpet shop and arranging for a formal fitting, along with the natural upheaval that can cause.

Carpet tiles will never go out of fashion, although they have been somewhat overtaken by laminate flooring as the eas-to-lay floor covering of choice. Of course, that doesn't detract from the fact that fitting carpet tiles is far easier than fitting a large carpet, particularly in oddly shaped rooms, and the fact that tiles work out far cheaper than a one-piece carpet, laid and fitted by professionals. Whether you're flooring for the first time or looking for inspiration for your next floor covering project, consider both the pros and cons of carpet tiles prior to making that decision to buy.