How to Install Kid's Carpet Tiles

Prep the floor surface. Remove any staples with a pair of pliers. Apply a wax stripper cleaner to a previously waxed wood floor to strip the surface. Smooth thinset leveler on broken areas or holes in a tile floor to create a flat, smooth surface. Mop the floor surface clean. Allow to dry. Vacuum the entire floor of any particles.

Find the center of the room. Snap a chalk line from the rooms' corner to corner. Snap a chalk line from the opposite corners so the lines intersect in the center. Measure each wall and mark the center. Snap two more chalk lines from the centers of each opposing wall to the other.

Lay a test run without adhering tile to the floor. Place a tile on top of the right angle formed by the chalk lines in the cross pattern. Layout the tile in all four directions, forming a plus sign to check the initial layout. Place enough tile to review the pattern if using multiple colors. Make any changes to the design until satisfactory. Pull up the tile.

Install carpet tile. Place an adhesive dot on the floor sticky side up under the corner where the first tile goes. Press the carpet tile down according to the manufacturer's instructions. Turn each piece so the arrows on the bottom of the tile face the same direction. Attach tiles to each other moving outwards toward the walls, ensuring the carpet does not get trapped between the seams.

Cut end pieces to fit the remaining space. Mark the back of the tile with a pencil where it bends or overlaps the wall. Draw a line using a straight edge as a guide. Score the line with an utility knife multiple times for a clean cut. Lay the tile with the cut edge facing the wall.

Vacuum the newly installed carpet.