Modular area rug and process of manufacture

A modular area rug consisting essentially of a plurality of individual floor covering elements positioned in a tiled configuration wherein perimeter edges of a portion of the floor covering elements define outer boundary edges of said area rug, each floor covering element having a textile upper surface and a fabric-elastomer composite backing affixed to said textile upper surface, said textile upper surface having a construction selected from group consisting of a tufted cut-pile, a tufted loop-pile, a tufted multi-level pile, a tufted combination of loop and cut pile, a needle-punched surface, a bonded pile, a woven fabric, a knit fabric, a nonwoven fabric, and combinations thereof, and wherein said fabric-elastomer composite backing comprises a fabric substrate layer having a first side facing towards the textile upper surface and a second side facing away from the textile upper surface, and wherein said fabric-elastomer composite backing further comprises a coated mesh fabric disposed in contacting bonded relation to said fabric substrate layer across said second side, wherein said coated mesh fabric comprises a meltable coating disposed in coated relation to a fabric and wherein said coated mesh fabric is bonded directly to said fabric substrate layer by said coating in a discontinuous melt fused pattern across said second side.