Did anyone catch the new Cody's Office yet? It had a very interesting segment on the recarpeting of the Kambach building that featured an interview/demo of the installation of a new carpet product that gets laid down in a similar manner to vinyl floor tiles. The carpet comes in 2 foot by 2 foot squares and looks a good idea for heavily trafficed areas that have to be a weather resistant. They might be a great ides for the floor of a basement train room so I want to more about it. Has anyone seen or used this kind of product and can tell me more about it? How much does it cost? Who sells and installs it?
Irv
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Phoebe Vet wrote:Lowes, Home Depot, etc.
Do you know what they go for?
I picked up some nice-looking carpet squares from a store that were left over from a school or some commercial installation. I got 2 contrasting colours and made a checkerboard out of them. They are rubberbacked, about 2' square, and are glued directly to the (painted) concrete bsmt floor. They did wonders for warmer feet! Only problem is condensation in summer if the A/C is not on to keep humidity down, but I keep several small fans circulating the air completely around the cellar year-round, and have no real trouble since.
The only downside is supply: all the seller has is those leftovers, and if you need more, they may not be available, or going for full price. Try to not get a solid colour; it shows everything! Worth looking into.
corsair7 wrote: Phoebe Vet wrote:Lowes, Home Depot, etc.Do you know what they go for?Irv
I checked the price. They are very expensive. You could buy carpet and have someone lay it for that price.
Since I had to go by the home store today I thought I'd swing though the carpet dept. and check. First however, you need to know that there are two variations of this product; the kind of carpet which is designed to be glued down, and that which is not. The later has a rubber backing that sticks to the floor by friction.
At our local outlet I found 12 x 12 carpet squares that are adhesive backed, and go for about $25.00 a box. Each box holds 20 sq ft. Then there are 24 x 24 carpet squares that are meant to be laid down loose. They were $100 a box, each box covering 40 sq ft. They are obviously more expensive, but then they are made so that if you do get water in the basement you just pick them up and throw them out in the sun to dry.
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
I've been a commercial flooring contractor for 35 years. Forget Home Depot and Lowes for the tiles being installed in Kalbach's offices. You will need to go to a real carpet store that handles commercial products to find those tiles. They are not cheap, BTW. Average cost is $3-$5 per square foot plus labor. The glue will add about $25 per gallon to the cost. Many can just be double face taped with no glue. A few will just lay loose.
There are many styles from various manufacturers. They wear like iron which helps explain the cost. Depending on the manufacturer, they can be any where from 18 in x 18 in all the way up to 1 meter x 1 meter.
They would be an excellent choice for a train room. Especially nice for fitting around multiple obstructions like layout legs. Damage one and just pull it out and pop in another.
There are even special no static styles but they get very pricey. We use them in computer rooms, TV stations, etc.
ndbprr wrote:Well if you are in Chicago or hurricane country and you want to put them in a basement like the original poster wanted they are also much easier to carry out to the trash when they get moldy from the floods.
We have never had flood in the basement in the 26 years I have lived in this house, thank G-d. We've had some leakage and then there was the time my wife decided to add water to the boiler and left the valve open, but never a real flood. My thinking in asking the original question was to find something to carpet the train room with other than trhe original idea of indoor-outdoor carpeting.
The original owner had put down a tile floor, butthat floor has been there since the 1950s and its beginning to show it's age. Besides, it doesn't look good nor is it comfortable to stand on as the original owner used that part of the basement for his workshop.
ndbprr wrote:If you have a tile floor from the 50's it could very well be an asbestos based tile. How or who removes it is up to you but there might be local restrictions regarding the disposal with fines if you put it in the trash.
I have no doubt it has asbestos in it so I don't want to touch it. I just want to cover it up and forget about it. Whoever buys this house when I no longer need it is welcome to do whatever is needed.
Hi!
These self adhesive carpet squares (and their vinyl tile counterparts) have been around for some time. The Exxon (now ExxonMobil) building I worked at in downtown Houston has had them for a good 10 years or more - with good performance IMHO.
Like anything, you get what you pay for and there is certainly a range of prices and quality in the product. The key, however, is a good surface to lay it on and a snug fit with adjoining pieces. IMHO, either self adhesive carpet or tile would work well in a train or hobby room, if for no other reason than you can easily replace portions that caught spills or damage.
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Lefty
I used them on a newly remodeled room in our old house (up for sale) atm :O)
They are a bit on the spendy side, but man do they take a beating. I went with the no glue sort, just plopped them down and it looks good. The rest of the house is wood flooring and with kids about, well, you all know the deal. I would do it again and I am NOT a carpet guy at all. I've pulled way to many carpets and it's a just NASTY - I don't care how well you vaccume. Anyway, the sound control is also nice. It went in on top of a concreat slab, no pading.