Installing Peel and Stick Carpet Tiles On Concrete DIY

Several months ago we had a flood.

And it was awful.

As you can imagine.

Normally, I'm a huge fan of water. I mean, I live on an island.

I'm surrounded by and it and adore it in my pool, at the ocean and falling from the sky during a summer thunderstorm.

I'll even go as far to say it's pretty in snowflake form around Christmas.

But in my basement?

No.

It was a disaster.

We'd just finished remodeling that downstairs family room, complete with a new carpet on the stairs, fresh paint, a large sectional sofa and updated decor.

The last thing we needed was flood damage. 

Thankfully there wasn't a lot of it.

Once we vacuumed and mopped up all the water the old washing machine had deposited, we realized that the wall to wall carpet was the big casualty.

It had to go.

Honestly, that was fine with me. We'd had that rug for 20 years.

The only reason we didn't replace it when we redecorated the basement, is because I hate that new carpet smell and it was in relatively decent shape.

Of course, the flood changed all that so we had to come up with a plan b...and one that didn't involve another round of wall to wall carpet, because ripping it, and its padding, up was a nightmare. 

Never again.

So after a few days of investigating, while we let the concrete floor dry out, we decided on self stick carpet tile squares.

We chose them for several reasons:

• They were inexpensive and very easy to install
• They were available off the shelf at several local stores
• They would be simple to replace if we ever had another flood - heaven help us
• They were made of recycled plastic material, that didn't smell at all and if they didn't get too wet, they would dry out quickly

The second choice was vinyl plank flooring, like we put down in our family room, however, if we did have a flood again, the water could've gotten trapped between the floor and planks.

It's more expensive and more difficult to install.

If the carpet squares got wet again, we could just pull the affected ones up, dry the floor and stick new ones down.

Easy peasy.

Installing Peel and Stick Carpet Tiles

Ok, so here's how we put the carpet tiles down without adhesive.

Supplies for this flooring DIY:

Peel and Stick Flooring Carpet Tiles
Utility Knife and Blade
Wooden Board
T-Square/ Level Tool
Marker
Tape Measure

Step 1: Measure The Room

We measured the entire room to see how many square feet of carpet we'd need to cover the space. It's a simple formula of length times width. 

Then we bought an extra box, so we had enough to for cuts. We also made sure that every box we purchased was from the same dye lot number. 

We didn't want to have different colors on the floor. 

Step 2: Vacuum and Clean The Floor

Since we'd had a flood, we obviously had to make sure the concrete floor was completely dry. We didn't want to give mold or dampness any opportunity to develop. 

When we were sure it was ready, we vacuumed the floor and cleaned up any debris that was dislodged when we ripped up the carpet padding.

The floor wasn't flat, the cement was a mess. But that was ok, the stick tile carpet squares are made for that kind of application.

However, small pieces of floating concrete were definitely not good. So they had to go.

Step 3: Figure Out The Best Layout

Once the floor was prepped, it was time to install the carpet tiles.

We started by trying to figure out the best way to lay them down so that we didn't have small cuts all over the perimeter of the room.

We wanted to make sure that we were able to set up the pattern so everything was pretty well centered.

I will say that the seams are barely visible, but it made for an easier installation and a more cohesive look overall.

Step 4: Start With A Square

Whenever you lay a floor, whether it be carpet tiles, vinyl or ceramic tile or plank flooring, if you don't start with a straight line, you won't end with straight floor.

It will end up looking crooked and your installation will be difficult, since nothing will fit together well and it will involve a lot of cuts.

Of course, it'd be lovely it all homes were built with perfectly square angles, but that's rarely the case. 

Especially in older homes, like ours. So once we'd mapped out the room and knew we were going to start at the base of the stairs, we had to make sure our first tile laid correctly.

It was going to set the path for the entire floor.

To do that, we laid down two metal square tools to find the right angle.

Step 5: Peel And Stick

With our plan in place and our supplies at the ready, it was time to get those carpet tiles on the floor.

Since they were peel and stick, it was a super simple and very quick process. First, we checked the back of the tile to see which way the printed arrows were going.

It was important that we installed them all in the same direction, so the carpet pattern would be consistent. It was subtle, but there was a definite variation in tone when the tiles were flipped.

Next, we just peeled the plastic backing away, to reveal the sticky adhesive on the bottom of the tile, and set it in place.

Then we pushed down hard on it, while sliding it tightly next to the adjoining tiles.

And we continued this process all around the room, checking as we went, to make sure we were still straight. As long as the tiles all lined up, we knew we were good.

Step 6: Make Cuts

There were, naturally, some cuts that had to be made along the way. Our basement had several posts, doorways, radiators and mouldings to work around.

Luckily, these carpet tiles are made to be cut, so a utility knife easily did the job. 

To protect the floor and provide a solid surface to cut on, my husband grabbed and old piece of plywood from the garage to use as his mobile cutting board. 

We would measure the area that needed to be notched, transferred the pattern onto the back of the tile, with a sharpie marker and cut.

In the case of the doorway and a bookcase bump out, we made a template from an old piece of paper.