Measuring Precisely

When it comes to purchasing flooring, many people tend to either overestimate or underestimate the size they require as flooring products are usually measured in m². Ensuring that you buy the right amount of carpet based on the measurements you have taken could save you a lot of money as well as reduce wastage.

Alcove and recess areas of a room are often very easy to miss when taking measurements, however these must always be taken into account before calculating the total amount of carpet needed in order to avoid purchasing less than required and settling for joins in the flooring.

Flooring is available to be purchased in any length, however depending on the vinyl/carpet the width can vary from being 2m, 3m, 4m or 5m wide! The main aim is always to minimise the number of joins needed, which is why it is important that you have your measurements to hand before making a decision on the type and colour of flooring you want – check the available widths first!

This guide covers the various ways of measuring different areas of your home.

Standard Room

If your room resembles either a rectangular or square shape, the measuring process is fairly simple; measure the length and width of the room, making sure to reach its widest points including the doorway section and multiply the two measurements together to work out the total surface area (m²).

    • Adding an additional 10cm onto the length and width measurements is very important as it will allow for any deviations in the wall and cutting of the carpet when it is being fitted
    • You must be careful as many rooms are not square shaped and even adding 10cm may not always be enough to provide full coverage on the flooring

Irregular Room

An irregular shaped room could sometimes have recess, chimney breast or alcove. You must always be mindful of these when measuring as they can easily be missed. Sketching a plan of your room that includes the windows, doors and recesses can be very helpful and will make the process easier since you have a visual idea of all the areas that need to be measured. As an extra precaution, you could measure each wall in the room; including the depth of any alcoves as it will come in handy if you need to join two or more carpet pieces together.

– Adding an additional 10cm onto the length and width measurements is very important as it will allow for any deviations in the wall and cutting of the carpet when it is being fitted

Hallway

Measuring a hallway would be the same process as with a room; measure the length and width of the hall taking into account any alcoves or recesses.

– Adding an additional 10cm onto the length and width measurements is very important as it will allow for any deviations in the wall and cutting of the carpet when it is being fitted

Landing

When measuring a landing area for carpet, it’s important to note that measurements will need to include the top step of the stairs as well as the landing. This is so that the landing carpet flows over the top step and seamlessly into the stairs when it’s fitted.

As with measuring a standard room, you could sketch out a plan of the landing area to make sure you include all areas including recesses and doorways. Stand on the top step to do this 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 measurements to calculate how much carpet you’ll need.

– Adding an additional 10cm onto the length and width measurements is very important as it will allow for any deviations in the wall and cutting of the carpet when it is being fitted

Mid landings

If you have a mid-landing, measure this as you would for a normal landing area. It must fit over the top step in one piece; you’ll need to measure the mid-landing width and length as well as the height and width of the top step

Stairs

When measuring stairs, the first thing you want to do is make sure that each step is the same size by checking the length and width of a few of them. Once that is done, measure the riser (height) and tread (depth) of one step – this is the length vertically up and over the step. Lastly, multiply that measurement by the number of steps that you have.

– Adding an additional 10cm onto the length and width measurements is very important as it will allow for any deviations in the wall and cutting of the carpet when it is being fitted

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) of the step as well as the width of the winder step at the widest part – this could be the edge of the step, the middle or the back depending on how the stairs are fitted.

Bullnose Step

A bullnose step is a curved last step on a staircase. Not all stairs a have bullnose step but if you need to measure one, here is how to do it -measure 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.