Carpet Measuring Guide
Carpet Measuring Basics
Deciding how to measure a room for carpet (or any other type of floor) sounds straightforward. But we still see mistakes. However, getting this right won’t be as daunting as you think with a few expert carpet measuring tips. In this carpet measuring guide we’ll look at:
Watch this short introduction to our carpet measuring guide.
To measure and record the size of your room, you will need a tape measure, pen or pencil, a piece of paper and a ruler.
Getting Your Measurements Right
Although this is primarily a carpet measuring guide, some sections also apply to measuring your room for vinyl flooring and other floors. You can use this guide alongside our carpet buying guide, and in it, we’ll walk you through the basics of measuring the various rooms and spaces in your home.
So, you’ve decided it’s time to buy a new carpet for your home. And one of the first things you will want to know is exactly how much carpet you need. Among other things, this will help you estimate the likely cost.
Over or underestimating the required carpet area can prove costly. Especially as we usually see the measurements calculated in square meters. This carpet measuring guide will help you avoid mistakes.
We typically recommend taking advantage of free carpet measuring, which is part of our home consultation service. But if you want to take some measurements yourself, how do you measure for a carpet? How do you measure more complex areas like your hall, stairs and landing?
To measure and record the size of your room, you will need a tape measure, pen or pencil, a piece of paper and a ruler.
How to Measure a Room
Measuring Standard Shaped Rooms
Video duration approximately 2 minutes.
If your room is rectangular or square, measuring it is straightforward; You will need to measure the length and width of the room at the widest point (including going into doorway areas) and multiply the two measurements to calculate the size of the floor surface.
When measuring a room, you should also consider any recesses, built-in units, or chimney breasts because the carpet fitter will cut the flooring to fit around them. Essentially, you should measure the room as though any of these are not there.
Different carpets are also available in different widths (usually 4 meters and 5 meters), and the aim should always be to minimise the number of joins needed. So it’s well worth making sure you have your exact measurements to hand; before deciding on the style and design of the carpet, you’d like.
Example of a standard room
How much extra do you add when measuring for carpet?
Always add 10 centimetres to your total length and width measurements. This extra amount will allow for any deviations in the wall and the cutting when your carpet is fitted.
Be careful as many rooms are not perfect squares, so even allowing 10cm might not be enough. You might want to take two measurements for the length and two for the width. You can then use the largest measurement.
Hopefully, this has given you some valuable pointers on how to measure a room for carpet. In the next part of this carpet measuring guide, we’ll look at measuring an irregular-shaped room or space.
How to Measure Irregular Shaped Room
Measuring odd-Shaped Rooms
Video duration approximately 1 minute 40 seconds.
If your room is an irregular shape or has a recess, chimney breast or any alcoves, you’ll need to bear this in mind when measuring it for carpet. How you measure an unusual shaped room will also depend on whether you want any joins in your carpet or not.
Sketching out a plan for your room is an excellent way to start and to ensure you don’t miss any wall areas. Remember to measure into any doorways, window bays and recesses.
To be on the safe side, you should measure every wall in the room, including the depth of any alcoves, which will come in handy if you need to join two or more carpet pieces together. By measuring every wall, you will have all the measurements you need.
Example of an irregular-shaped room
As mentioned in the previous video where we looked at measuring a standard room, always add 10 centimetres to your total length and width measurements.
You now have some valuable pointers for measuring irregular-shaped rooms. Although, as we mentioned in the introduction, we typically recommend taking advantage of our free carpet measuring.
We’ll look at measuring hallways in the next part of this carpet measuring guide.
How to Measure a Hall
Measuring Halls and Unusual Halls
Video duration approximately 1 minute 34 seconds.
Hallways may be one of the smallest areas of your home, but they often have more doorways and intricate shapes, so you still need to take care when you measure them. Because halls come in many shapes and sizes, they are not always straightforward to measure.
For example, if you have an L-shaped hallway (as shown in the diagram), you will need to divide it into two rectangles. You can then calculate the size of each rectangle (in square meters) and add the two values together.
This method would give you the total area of the hall but would mean the need for a join in your carpet. To avoid a join, you would need to multiply the longest length by the broadest width, leaving you with more wastage but no join.
Example of an l-shaped hall
In the absence of awkward L-shaped, T-shaped or inverted halls, we suggest you measure a hallway as you would a standard room by recording the width and length and taking into account any alcoves or recesses.
Again, remember to add 10 centimetres to all your total length and width measurements. This will allow for any deviations in the wall and for the cutting when your carpet is fitted.
Now we’ve looked at how to measure hallways; let’s look at how to measure a landing and mid-landing.
How to Measure a Landing
Measuring a Standard Landing
Video duration approximately 2 minutes 23 seconds.
When measuring a landing area for carpet, it’s important to note that measurements must include the top step of the stairs and the landing. You include the top step so that the landing carpet flows over the top step and seamlessly into the stairs once fitted.
As with measuring a standard room, you could sketch out a landing area plan to ensure you include all areas, including recesses and doorways.
Example of a main landing area
Stand on the top step and mark on your plan where the landing meets the stairs. Measure the width and the length of this area; (including the height and width of the top step) and multiply the measurements to calculate how much carpet you’ll need.
Use metric measurements, and again, remember to add 10 centimetres to all your total length and width measurements.
How to Measure a Mid-Landing
You should measure a mid-landing as you would a normal landing area. Your mid-landing carpet must fit over the top step (beneath) in one piece, so you’ll need to measure the mid-landing width and length as well as the height and width of the top step.
As suggested in other sections of this carpet measuring guide, add 10 centimetres to your total length and width measurements.
In the final part of this carpet measuring guide, we’ll look at measuring stairs – including winder stairs and bullnose steps.
Example of a mid-landing area
How to Measure Stairs
Measuring Stairs for Carpet
Video duration approximately 3 minutes.
First, double-check all the stairs to ensure they are the same width and then measure the riser (height) and tread (depth) of one step. – This is the length vertically up and over the step. Multiply that measurement by the number of stairs you have (providing they are all the same type of shape).
If some of the steps are different sizes, repeat the process for each one. You can then add the total size of all the steps together.
Example of standard stairs
For accurate measurement of all types of stairs, we recommend having this done by our team. This will remove any chance of paying for unnecessary wastage or of not ordering enough carpet.
Measuring Winder Stairs
If you have a winding or corner staircase, you will need to make a note of a few different measurements for the winder section.
There are usually three winder steps to consider. For each one, measure the length (the rise and tread) and the width at the widest part. This is important because the pile direction needs to go over the nose of the stair at a right angle.
The widest part can be the edge, middle or back of the step, depending on how the stairs are fitted.
Example of winder stairs
Measuring a Bullnose Step
A bullnose step is a curved last step on a staircase. Not all stairs have a bullnose step but if you need to measure one, here is how to do it.
Start by measuring the length (rise and tread) of the last step as with straight stairs.
To measure the curve, wrap a tape measure around the whole curve of the step to record the correct measurement.
That completes the final part of our carpet measuring guide. For more advice about measuring your rooms for carpet, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Example of a bullnose step
