The Easy DIY Way To Carpet Over Tile Floors

Redoing your floors can be a major undertaking — both financially and physically — but not every flooring project in your home requires an in-depth renovation project. One of the easiest floor change-ups for giving your living space a refresh is switching from tiles to carpet. If you want to DIY your own wall-to-wall carpet over a tile floor, all you really need is a carpet seam roller and some carpet squares. As demonstrated by Instagram user @thedadsocial, this DIY hack is quick, easy to do, and ideal for families with young kids. 

For this project, simply purchase carpet squares with adhesive backing, and apply them to your floor. Keep a measuring tape and utility knife on hand to cut some of the tiles down to a smaller size, especially when you get to the edges and corners of the room. Use a carpet seam roller to smooth down edges so that the seams between tiles aren't noticeable, which will help give your carpet a more polished look. This carpeting method is especially clever if you want low-maintenance carpeting for a high-traffic area — whenever there's a bad spill or damage, you can simply replace a square without any fuss. 

The materials you use will make a big difference for this project. Bad carpet squares could leave your home looking like a sad office building, but with the right color and texture, your space will feel warm and cozy. @thedadsocial uses the brand TrafficMaster, which offers a lot of different peel-and-stick carpet tile options. 

For instance, this TrafficMaster residential carpet tile has a plush texture and comes in a classic gray color. A case of 10 tiles, which would cover 22.5 square feet, costs just over $70. Another well-reviewed option is Smart Squares Easy Street Premium Soft Padded Carpet Tiles. These tiles feature a layer of memory foam padding for extra comfort and come in several warm neutral shades. A pack of 10 tiles costs a little under $80.

As for the roller tool, you can use just about any basic carpet seam roller to smooth down the edges of your carpet squares. Look for a handheld roller like the Roberts 4-inch Seam Roller, which @thedadsocial appears to be using in his demonstration video. This seam roller is available at Home Depot for $22.77 at the time of writing. If you prefer a spiked roller, check out the Zimpty Seaming Roller, available on Amazon for $16.48. With these basic supplies, you'll have all the equipment you need to DIY a perfect carpet floor over tiles.