A New Look for a Temporary Rental Home and Office with an Exhibition Carpet

An exhibition carpet is an effective way to cover up original, worn-out floors if you need to give an affordable rental apartment a quick facelift.

A temporary makeover for an apartment, one that will last for two to three years, is often needed, especially for second homes rented for work. This everyday home in a work-related city offers accommodation when work weeks are too far from your primary residence for a daily commute. This spring, rental work apartments have also been sought closer to home, as remote work forced by the pandemic has proven difficult in the middle of a family.

A work apartment is primarily expected to be affordable and conveniently located, so the options are often apartments that are in a weaker than average overall condition.

In the pictures, the plastic floor from the late 1970s has been covered with Expomatto’s Expoluxe exhibition carpet. In addition to the carpet, the walls were given a necessary facelift with renovation paint, and the cupboards in the entryway and kitchen were resurfaced with D-C-fix decorative film. The total cost of the materials for the studio apartment, located along the main railway line, was less than a month’s rent, but a few evenings of work raised the apartment’s comfort to a completely new level.

With an Affordable and Easy-to-Install Mat, You Can Safely Experiment with Bold Colors in Your Decor

Significantly more affordable than building-grade flooring materials, an exhibition carpet is warm and quiet underfoot. The easily cleaned and wear-resistant mat is suitable for all living spaces except for wet washrooms. In the entryway, cleaning can be made easier by getting a separate doormat to put on top of the exhibition carpet; this way, most of the dirt and grit from shoes stays at the door.

An exhibition carpet has no rubber backing, so it is also suitable for rooms with underfloor heating—and it won’t leave “burned-on” marks after prolonged use. Area rugs placed on top of the mat stay in place very well.

Exhibition carpet also holds up well with pets. Compared to the most affordable laminate floors, the mat provides excellent grip and is quiet under a pet’s paws. While a dog’s most energetic play can leave claw marks, pet hair comes off with a vacuum just as it would from a sofa. For short-haired dog and cat breeds, it is recommended to use a brush nozzle on the vacuum; it won’t leave marks but its bristles will lift the hair from the mat faster.

Exhibition Carpets and D-C-Fix Films Provide a Visible Makeover on a Small Budget

Because the mat is easy to install and affordable to purchase, you can experiment with color choices more boldly than usual. In the apartment shown, the tenant wanted to experiment with dark colors in the bright space, so a completely black mat was chosen from Expomatto’s color selection. The black shade of the Expoluxe color chart does not have any other undertones, so its compatibility with the black D-C-fix decorative film on the cupboards is striking.

The mat is easy to cut to fit. The mat comes in a two-meter-wide roll and is cut to the customer’s desired length by Expomatto.

The tools needed for installation are a metal ruler, a tape measure, and a quality utility knife, such as the Fiskars CarbonMax found in most hardware stores. This knife, with its excellent price-to-quality ratio, has a blade that locks securely for cutting corner folds, and the handle provides a firm grip. The same tools can also be used to install the D-C-fix decorative film.

Especially in a small apartment, there’s no need to tape the exhibition carpet to the original floor. The weight of the sofa, dining table, and bed will hold the mat in place. At the seams of the mat, it is best to place tape underneath to glue the seam together. For temporary use, installation is also made faster because there is no need to precisely cut the edge that will be hidden behind a sofa or bed against the baseboard. By leaving a generous extra few centimeters on the hidden edges, the mat can “live” a bit and won’t bunch up even if the measurements weren’t perfect. The visible edges can then be fitted perfectly against the baseboards for a neat finish.

Installation is Easy; The Old, Worn-Out Floor Disappears in Just One Evening

Expomatto’s rolls come directly from the factory, so they don’t have time to develop a warehouse smell. However, it’s a good idea to steam clean the mat before use, just as you would with any wall-to-wall carpet. With this small effort, you ensure there are no odors and also help the mat settle into place with the warmth of the steam.

Contact our sales team and ask for our affordable delivery options

Or even our installation service if you want it! Expomatto’s sales service always includes cutting the exhibition carpet to your desired length—in other words, you don’t have to buy a full roll for a small need. And the mats are available in all colors!

Our phone sales team is at your service at 050 1446 or you can use our CHAT service at the bottom of the page. You can also request a quote through our contact form or by email at myynti@expomatto.fi. You will get a fast response!