Installation technology is constantly evolving: Flooring Forensics

By Lew Migliore

Installation methods for flooring materials are changing rapidly, and the use of systems that forego traditional adhesives is proliferating at ever increasing rates. Many of these installation technology changes are occurring in the field of carpet tiles.

When carpet tiles were first introduced, installation consisted of full spread, grid and perimeter methods with pressure sensitive adhesive. The backings were first bitumen (asphaltic material) in European carpet tiles, and most of the tile made in the U.S. utilized vinyl. These backings, combined with solvent-based adhesives, created a very stable bond with little concern for edges lifting or tiles shifting dimensionally. Not that these issues did not occasionally occur, but the problems were minimal compared to those the industry has experienced more recently with the advent and implementation of recycled content backings and proprietary adhesive systems.

Substrate issues in the past also weren’t as pervasive as they are today. There was less of a push to finish construction projects dictated by fast track construction, so concrete had more time to cure properly. There was virtually no lightweight concrete in use, and no compromising concrete additives or surface finishing, all of which can undermine a floorcovering installation—particularly the installation of broadloom carpet and carpet tiles.

Adhesives used to contain solvents, which would prevent substrate conditions from compromising installations or causing failures like the water-based counterparts do today. Even water-based adhesives that stick in dry conditions as well as the solvent-based types are more susceptible to failure when introduced to substrate moisture. Solvent and water don’t mix, but water and water do; that’s just a fact of chemistry. Unfortunately, solvents in adhesives may also pose a health threat, so the green movement has driven changes in adhesive chemistries and compounding.

Some manufacturers have been reducing recycled content in carpet tile backings or no longer offering it in their running lines, since the recipe of recycled materials in backings requires such a delicate balance of components. The window of opportunity to get it right has proven to be very elusive and costly for the industry. Issues with curling and lifting edges and problems with dimensional stability have plagued the industry, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in claims losses. The industry has tried to blame inferior installation and substrate conditions, but there may be more to it than that.

Knee-jerk reactions to issues of curling and lifting edges then led to the formulation of adhesives so aggressive that they made it impossible to get carpet tiles off the floor, ironically without solving the curling and lifting issues. Additionally, permanently attaching the tiles to the floor negated one of the unique selling points of carpet tiles, that they can be easily removed and replaced. As the old saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention,” and the industry has been forced to adapt. Carpet tile backings are going back to PVC and similar alternatives, and the installation of these products has shifted from the use of adhesives out of the bucket to more mechanical methods.

One of the first solutions, which has actually been around for decades, was a peel and stick installation system. This method consists of an adhesive of varying formulation pre-applied to the carpet tile backing, which is then covered with a removable protective layer, either a plastic film or paper. This system can also be used on six-foot wide broadloom. It has been a proven performer for decades and continues to be so today, so much so that pre-applied adhesives are and will be seen more on flooring products, both carpet and hard surface.

Another system in use, and expanding, is tabs. This system consists of a sticky square or circle that intersects four carpet tile corners, simultaneously holding the corners of the carpet tiles together with the adhesive on the tab and securing them in place without sticking them to the substrate. The most notable of these systems is Interface’s TacTiles. Other carpet tile manufacturers have adopted the use of tabs for installation such as J+J’s TileTabs and Mohawk’s FlexLok. There are also independent versions of these tabs, such as StickyTabs. The purpose of these tab systems is to connect the corners of carpet tiles and hold them in place without having to use adhesive applied to the backing of the carpet tile or to the substrate. This essentially allows the carpet tiles to float on the substrate without having to be adhered to it. Interface’s TacTile system is the oldest of these methods and has proven that tabs can be a successful installation method.

Shaw’s LokDots attach carpet tiles to the substrate. This installation system uses sticky dots of adhesive applied to the backing of the carpet tile using an applicator that resembles a grocery store pricing gun. The LokDots are applied to the four corners and the middle of the carpet tiles with between 15 and 21 dots total, depending on the size of the tile. In contrast to floating systems like TacTiles, the carpet tiles installed with this system are actually glued to the substrate at the location of the dots on the backing of the tile, though removal is straightforward.

There are mechanical means of installation as well as contact type systems that hold promise and other systems in the development stages by manufacturers not mentioned here. In addition, installers can choose a pre-applied pressure-sensitive installation system—EnviroStix being one of the most popular and effective—that can be used on hard-backed carpet tile and other hard surface flooring materials.

Each of these systems calls for different techniques for installation of the carpet tiles and other modular flooring products. Tile tabs and adhesive dots actually slow the installation down. Some might object to the time and patience these systems require, compared to rolling on pressure sensitive adhesive and placing the carpet tiles down in rapid succession, and this is true, but the alternative installation methods were developed to eliminate the need for a separate adhesive. This allows for the recycling of carpet tiles without any adhesive residue on the backing; the re-use of the carpet tiles; the elimination of any odor from the adhesive; prevention or minimization of plasticizer migration into adhesive on wet slabs if the backing is PVC; no adhesive residue on the substrate; and most obviously the complete elimination of full-spread adhesive. Some of these installation systems will even facilitate the expansion and contraction of the carpet tile on the floor in environments where the temperature and humidity changes often.

These installation systems are not a trend but an evolution for carpet tiles and modular flooring products. Each has its own set of installation instructions and applications that dealers and installers will have to know, understand and adopt. More installation systems like this will be coming in the future, adapted for different applications and addressing various challenges in the industry. One such challenge is a lack of young people who want to be floorcovering installers. These systems make installation easier and less susceptible to failure due to compromises created by inexperienced installers. Furthermore, with the world becoming smaller and the flooring market becoming bigger, there are too few professional installers around the world and nearly none with the amount of experience required to work with some of the products on the market today, so simple and effective installation systems are a must.

If you’re not aware of the new installation technologies, you’re going to have to get up to speed quickly. Changes in installation are inevitable and they’re here to stay.

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