There’s more to cushion backing than comfort alone. To help you understand the importance of cushioned carpet in your office(s), we’re exploring the hidden benefits cushion has over hard backing: from quicker installation to longer appearance retention.
1) Improved Appearance Retention
Cushion backing plays a crucial role in extending the life of your carpet tiles.
In hard-backed tiles, the carpet’s fibres directly absorb the impact of foot traffic. Over time, this damages the fibres, causing the appearance of your carpet to degrade. Cushion backing helps to absorb some of the impact of foot traffic, reducing damage and wear to the carpet’s fibres.
Most cushion-backed carpet tiles use closed-cell cushioning, which helps to protect the carpet’s fibres in the short term. However, over time, this type of cushioning begins to break down from the impact of foot traffic – reducing the cushion’s shock absorption and leading to fibre degradation.
Fortunately, open-cell cushion backing offers even greater improvements to appearance retention. Instead of breaking down over time, this type of backing can ‘re-inflate’ after compression. This protects the carpet’s fibres more effectively than closed-cell cushioning, prolonging the life of your carpet by 40–50% more than hard-backed products.
A look at the open-cell cushion backing used in Milliken's Comfort Plus carpet tiles.
Want office carpet tiles that will retain their appearance for years? Make sure to read our specifier's guide to carpet tiles.
2) Effective Moisture Management
Open-cell cushion backing can help negate many of the problems associated with subfloor moisture.
The structure of open-cell backing allows for ‘moisture wicking’ – enabling subfloor moisture to travel through the carpet backing and evaporate at the seams of each carpet tile. In contrast, hard-backed carpet tiles will trap moisture. Without the ability to evaporate, this can lead to mould and mildew growth – both of which are detrimental to indoor air quality.
3) Easier Installation
Many carpet tiles have backings that contain PVC. If these tiles come into contact with adhesive left over from a prior installation, a harmful phenomenon known as plasticiser migration can occur. This creates unpleasant odours that negatively impact indoor air quality and often require the laborious removal of residual adhesive.
With no PVC in its backing, open-cell cushion mitigates this issue, reducing the need to remove old adhesives and significantly speeding up the installation process. Thanks to its moisture-wicking technology, tiles with open-cell cushion backing can even be directly installed in environments with up to 80% relative humidity – with no need for costly sealers. When paired with an adhesive-free installation method (such as TractionBack), it’s possible to safely install in areas with up to 85% relative humidity.
4) Health and Wellness Benefits
Cushion backing also provides a wealth of benefits to health, wellness, and safety.
Open-cell cushioning uses the same type of technology found in high-performance athletic shoes. With greater underfoot support, these carpet tiles significantly reduce muscle fatigue – often by as much as 24%. This is beneficial in any environment, but the effects are amplified in sit-to-stand working spaces, where both standing and sitting comfort are important considerations.
Cushioning also brings acoustic benefits, reducing ambient noise and minimising ground-level vibrations by up to 50% more than hard-backed surfaces. In office environments, this improves productivity and reduces distractions; creating happier employees and better company performance.
To learn how to ensure you specify the right carpet tiles for your next project, download our free guide below. 
