Fitting guide · dctuk.com · 0345 222 1544 · Flooring that ain’t boring
Burmatex carpet tiles
How to fit Burmatex carpet tiles
Burmatex are made in Yorkshire and their fitting guide is refreshingly practical. They also approve a glue-free tab system, which is handy if you're renting or fitting over an access floor.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 3–5 hours for a 20m² room
- People
- 1 person
- Skill level
- Beginner friendly
What you’ll need to fit Burmatex carpet tiles
- Carpet tile tackifier and a paint roller
- Sharp utility knife and spare blades
- Metal straight edge
- Tape measure and chalk line
- Knee pads
Before you start
48 hours out of the box
Burmatex want the tiles unpacked and left in the room for two days before you lay them.
Warm the room first
The room should be enclosed, weather-tight and heated to at least 18°C for 72 hours before you start.
Check the batch numbers
On both tiles and rolls, before you start.
No laying over soft floors
Old carpet, needlefelt and felt-backed vinyl all have to come up, along with the old adhesive.
How to fit Burmatex carpet tiles, step by step
Find the centre of the room
Chalk a line down the centre of the room, or from the doorway. Find the middle point and chalk a second line at right angles to it. Lay a loose row along each leg of the cross to check your edge cuts.
Dry-lay a row first
Before any adhesive goes down, lay a loose row of tiles out to each wall. If the edge tiles would come out as thin slivers, shift your centre line over by half a tile.
Fix the tiles down
Roll the tackifier evenly over the whole area with a roller or brush, then leave it at least 30 minutes — longer if the room's cool or damp. It needs to be tacky, not wet. If you've got castor chairs or filing cabinets, Burmatex say you can use a permanent adhesive instead.
Check which way the tiles go
Burmatex are specific here: lay the tiles in the direction recommended for your particular range, which is printed on its spec sheet. Most ranges support all-one-way, quarter turn, brick and half drop.
Work outwards from the middle
Start at the centre and build out in a staircase shape rather than straight rows. It keeps everything square and stops small errors adding up across the room.
Butt them up gently
Tiles should touch with no gap, but don't force them tight. Brush the pile back as you lay each one so nothing gets trapped in the joint.
Cut the edge tiles
Put the tile you're cutting face down on top of the last full tile, then put a third tile on top pushed against the skirting. Mark along its edge, cut through the back with a sharp knife, and fit it with the cut edge to the wall.
Finish off
Fit a threshold strip in any doorway, vacuum the floor and put the furniture back. Carpet tiles can be walked on straight away.
Watch it being done
Time-lapse: fitting Burmatex carpet tiles — Burmatex's own time-lapse of a real installation.
The Burmatex bits that catch people out
Firm, but not squeezed
Burmatex put this well: tiles should be butted with the right firmness — not so loose that gaps appear, not so tight that the edges compress and buckle. Keep checking as you go.
Glue-free option
Burmatex approve IOBAC tabs — double-sided dry-tack squares, and a magnetic version for raised access floors. No liquid adhesive, and tiles lift cleanly for reuse.
Barrier tiles by the coffee machine
A genuinely useful Burmatex tip: put barrier tiles around anywhere spills happen — coffee points, printers, entrances.
Cut pile needs brushing
On cut pile ranges, brush the pile away from the edge of each tile as you lay it so yarn doesn't get trapped in the joint.
Mistakes to avoid
- Laying into tackifier that's still wet.
- Compressing the tiles too tightly, which makes the joints buckle.
- Fitting over old needlefelt or felt-backed vinyl.
- Ignoring the laying direction on the spec sheet.
- Thin cut tiles in doorways — they lift first.
Burmatex fitting questions, answered
What adhesive do Burmatex recommend?
A tackifier release system for tiles and planks — a coat rolled on and left to go tacky. For rolls and sheet, they specify a permanent adhesive instead.
Can Burmatex carpet tiles be fitted without glue?
Yes. Burmatex approve IOBAC tabs, including a magnetic version for raised access floors, so no liquid adhesive is needed at all.
Which way should Burmatex tiles be laid?
It depends on the range — Burmatex print the recommended method on each product's spec sheet. Most support all-one-direction, quarter turn, brick and half drop.
Can I fit Burmatex tiles over underfloor heating?
Yes, up to 27°C. Turn it off 48 hours before and after, then bring it back up gradually over about a week.
How long do Burmatex tiles need to acclimatise?
48 hours out of the packaging, in the room they're going into.
Rather someone else did it?
If it's a big room, an awkward shape, or you just fancy a Saturday off, our own fitting teams cover the whole of the UK. Free site survey, tidy job, no dramas.
See how our fitting worksNationwide fitting, fully managed
Our own teams, a free site survey, and one point of contact from quote to clean-up.
Get a fitting quoteManufacturer’s own instructions: Burmatex fitting guide. Always check the guidance supplied in the box — ranges and backings vary.