How to Measure the Amount of Carpet for Stairs

You have decided to install carpeting. You don't want to buy too much, yet too little will be difficult to stretch and may cause further problems. The following will guide you in measuring and figuring the amount of carpet you will need for you staircase.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tape measure
• Paper and pen

Measuring the Length

1. Begin measuring the steps from the top of the staircase.

2. Measure the rise of the step. This is the part of the step you step onto. Place your measuring tape at the very depth of the step, stretching it to the very tip.

3. Measure the fall of the step. This is the backing of the stair. Place the tape at the joint of the immediate step and stretch the measuring tape up.

4. Add the rise measurement to the fall measurement.

5. Add an additional two inches to the rise and fall measurement. This will account for the curvature of the step and padding.

6. Count the number of stairs with the exact dimensions as the first one measured.

7. Multiply the number of steps by the total measurement.

8. Measure any additional steps rises and falls that are not the same size as the first calculation. Add the two inches per step and add this to your other total.

Measuring the Width

9. Determine the widest step of the staircase. Although other steps may be smaller, you will only need to measure the widest step. Cutting the carpet will be done to the widest one. They can't cut each width individually.

10. Place the tape at one side of the wall and stretch it to the other side of the wall.

11. Add an additional two inches to the width measurement for padding.

Tips & Warnings

• Measure twice.