Here at DCTUK, we like to offer a well-rounded and courteous service because that’s exactly how momma brought us up to be. We’re not just after your money - our super low price tags prove that - we want to make sure you make the floor of your dreams a reality. So once you’ve ordered your tiles and they’re well on their way to you, we definitely won’t be waving goodbye. We’re always on hand to help you out with installation advice, interior design inspiration and any additional products you might need. We do already have a nifty Installation Guide for you to refer to but I thought it might be useful if we explained the various options you have when arranging and arranging your tiles so here goes…
Monolithic
Perhaps the most popular and simple of them all, monolithic is just a posh way of describing when all of the tiles point in the same direction to form a uniform arrangement. As with all of the installation methods I am about to mention, you should use the grain or the surface pattern on the tile as a guide for orientation and direction. It’s not as complicated as it sounds, promise, so let’s keep going…
Duolithic
As the name suggests, duolithic is the opposite of monolithic and describes when the tiles are facing in opposite ways. This enables you to play with variation in colour tone and textural appearance as the light will hit the tiles in different ways. It’s all about dimension darling, dimension.
Brick & Ashlar
Swap carpet tiles for bricks and you’ve got this one down - tiles are laid on the floor as bricks would be to form a wall, displaced by half a tile but all facing the same direction. I’ve grouped these two installation methods together as they both require the same process but the latter (ashlar) does so in a portrait formation, as opposed to landscape like brick. (Refer back to the diagram above if it feels like I’m talking a complete load of gobbledygook!)
Non-directional
One for the reckless rule-breakers amongst us, this installation method abandons all the guidelines and gives you complete freedom and artistic license to do whatever the heck you like with your tiles. This does allow for creative diversity but just be careful because this method won’t apply to all carpet tiles. Most tiles will have a specific method or two that you must adhere to so keep an eye out for that. Of course, this list isn't exhaustive so do you research before committing carpet tile to floor.
Quarter-turn
The quarter-turn method may also be referred to as the chequerboard or tessellated style but all describe when each tile is turned at 90 degrees to its neighbour. This is a great way to create visual interest using one exclusive colour and the perfect approach to take for those of you who are looking to put your stamp on a space without going overboard. The look has been perfected here by one of our very talented customers:
Our top installation tips for foolproof flooring
- When your tiles arrive on your doorstep, take them out of the packaging and leave them to rest in a spacious room for 48 hours before laying. Your tiles will have been crammed like sardines for shipping so it’s important to give them chance to breathe and relax after being so compact.
- Before you even think about laying a single carpet tile, you need to make absolutely sure that your subfloor is squeaky clean and bone dry. This will ensure that you can achieve the most polished and professional finish possible and also extend your floors lifespan.
- Although one of the biggest advantages of our carpet tiles is that they don’t require any toxic sticky substances as a prerequisite, we do recommend coating them with a little bit of adhesive or holding them in place with some TacTiles for a super secure installation.
- As our savvy sales team will tell you, we always encourage you to add an extra 5% onto your order to allow for mistakes and wastage. It's easy to come unstuck if you don't!
- Always tile from the centre of the room outwards to make sure you master that neat, tight fit that you’re undoubtedly aiming for. That’s how the professionals do it anyway and word on the street says that’s a pretty decent yardstick to measure your own approach by.
We'd love to see your finished flooring projects so feel free to send them to marketing@dctukgroup.com or share them with us on Twitter @dctuk!
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