It’s nearly impossible to not have a thing for carpets (unless you’re really allergic to them!) and of course for those adorable and comfy spaces that have been either fully treated with plush carpeting or feature some really cute rugs at different spots.
And it goes without saying that getting your spaces carpeted is one of the most worthwhile home improvement decisions, the one that’s going to provide you with everlasting comfort.
Now when you’re up for having a carpeting project within any of your desired spaces, it all comes down to the popular and legit concern of “How do I know how much carpet I need?”. Or in other words, How to measure a room for carpet, so as to carry out a purchase or place an order accordingly.
P.S. There are several other major concerns as well when it comes to acquiring carpeting treatment.
And the good news is that the Pro Flooring Guide will be addressing every single one of them, helping you come up with the necessary info and prep beforehand, as you proceed with your carpet-related projects.
Measuring The Carpet Requirement According To Area
Now the measurements for carpets, of course, vary according to the area you’re dealing with and there is an individual technique that needs to be used for each.
Next up, we’ve mentioned easy and practically useful methods for calculating the exact amount of carpet required for multiple areas.
How To Measure A Room For Carpet
It’s the simplest of all!
- When dealing with a perfectly square or rectangle room, all you need to do is calculate the length and width of the entire area. Jot down all the measurements carefully.
- Multiply the length of the room by the width, i.e. L x W = A (in square feet).
- The resultant figure will be the square footage of your room, in other words, the measurement of the carpet required.
How To Measure Stairs For Carpets
Stairs can be a little tricky since they are never of the same measurements!
- Start by measuring the height and depth of each step, followed by adding those obtained numbers together, in order to get the length.
- Next comes the measurement of the width of your stairs.
- Multiply the two obtained figures together, i.e. the length (gotten from the depth and height of each step) and width of the stairs.
- The resultant figure will be the area of every individual step of your staircase.
- Multiply the area of each step with the total number of steps of your staircase and you’ll be getting to know how much carpet to order/buy.
Other Areas To Consider For Carpet Measuring
Life and home aren’t always smooth entirely and there are rather non-uniform (somewhat troublesome) areas that we all have to deal with!
Philosophy aside, it’s just those areas that do not have perfect measurements and also those regular spaces having some hurdles in them, making it difficult to come up with the exact measurement and thus determining the quantity of flooring needed.
Hallways
- The hallway area has the longest measurement at its length and the shortest one at its width.
- If there is another hallway in contact with the first one at an angle of 90°, you’ll need to have an opposite (to the first one) measurement approach, so as to proceed in a consistent way from one end of your place to the other.
Closets
- Carpet measurement within rooms having wardrobes or closets requires anticipation of the floor area in the wardrobe or closet since there will be a separate piece of carpeting material needed to treat that area.
- Take the measurements of the length and width of the room as you normally would follow by repeating the procedure on the inside of the closet, so as to obtain the overall figure of carpet required.
Middle Of Doorways
- Measuring the middle of the doorways requires the addition of 2 to 3 inches to the overall square footage measurement.
- If there are two doorways in a room, there needs to be an addition of up to 6 inches within the overall dimension measurement.
Recesses And Chimneys
- If there are any chimney breasts or recesses present, then you’ll still need to carry out the measurement of the entire room, as if those hurdles weren’t there.
- As for the space occupied by such objects, the carpet needs to be cut from those specific parts at the time of carpet installation.
Odd Shaped Rooms
- Start by visually dividing the odd-shaped area into even shapes like squares or rectangles.
- Measure each of the shapes, multiplying the lengths by the widths. This way, you’ll be able to come up with a total measurement of the entire area.
How Much Extra Carpet Do I Need?
Getting an extra amount of carpet flooring is one of the thumb rules of carpet purchase, something highly recommended by the expert. And there are multiple reasons for doing so:
- The wastage of stuff (often due to the width of the carpet roll)
- Trouble in matching the pattern of the carpet
- Maintaining the carpet seam
- Material wastage due to misconduct
Therefore, it’s always a preferable idea to buy at least up to 10% extra carpet material, that is adding 10% to the total square footage of the area that will be treated.
FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions
How To Measure An Odd Shaped Room?
In order to find the square footage of a rather odd-shaped room or space, you’ll need to divide the area into even shapes, such as rectangles or squares, in other words, those that are easy to calculate. After that, you can easily measure all of the shapes by multiplying their lengths by the widths, eventually coming up with the resultant figure, i.e. the square footage of the entire space. And then, you can conveniently proceed with your carpet purchase.
What To Use For Cutting Carpets?
A sharp utility knife is the easiest-to-use and most practically available tool when it comes to cutting carpets in a neat and flawless way. And you don’t really need to acquire (spend on) any particular tools or master cutting techniques, since the knife meant for everyday users can easily do the job for you, and you also don’t have to learn the usage. In addition to that, you can also make use of a razor or an X-acto knife for the purpose.
How To Calculate The Size Of A Room?
Start by obtaining both the length and width measurements of the room, in order to calculate the square footage. Once you’ve got the measurements, you’ll need to multiply the length by the width and the resultant figure will be the total square footage of your intended room or space. For instance, if you’ve got a 15 ft long and 10 ft wide room, then the total square footage will be 150 square feet.
How To Measure A Stair Carpet?
Measuring stairs for carpeting is, in fact, pretty similar to that the way in which the square footage of a room is calculated. When it comes to stairs, the height and depth of each step will be giving you the length, which you’ll later need to multiply by the width, thus eventually obtaining the area of each step of your staircase. Another important tip to keep in mind is to consider an addition of up to 10%, for the wastage as well as for any measurement error, since stairs never measure the same and there always lies a slight difference among each.
Is Carpet Measured In Meters?
Carpets generally are either measured in Square Meters or Linear Meters, in order to ensure the fact that the carpeting is done in a like-for-like manner. Another important and associated factor to know at this point is the pricing of a carpet within Linear Meters as compared to in Square Meters since the former is a greater unit. Therefore, by obtaining the lengths and widths of your intended space, you can easily determine the quantity of carpet that you’ll need.
How To Calculate Carpet Prices?
Carpets are sold according to the criteria of cost per square foot. Therefore, all you need to do is obtain the total square footage of the very room or area that you plan on treating with the carpet, followed by multiplying the per square foot cost of your chosen carpet with the square footage of your room. In other words, it’s the multiplication of the total number of square feet by the per square foot cost of the carpet, thus easily determining the overall carpeting project cost.
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