How to Measure Square Feet for Carpet

Purchasing new carpeting for your home can be a major decision. Not only must you decide what kind of carpeting is the best match for your needs, you need to choose a color that complements your home decor. Unless you are sure that your furnishings will remain the same throughout the life of the carpet, choosing one that is a neutral color is the safest. Before you go out and buy that carpet of your dreams, you will need to measure the area to be covered to determine the amount of carpet you will need.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure Calculator (optional)

Instructions

1. Measure the length and width of the room and round up to the nearest half foot. If the width of the room is 12 feet 2 inches, round to 12.5 feet. Although you may be able to purchase the carpet to the exact dimensions of the room, rounding the numbers is convenient for estimating cost and is easier to calculate.

2. Multiply the length by the width to get the square feet of the area. For a room that is 12 feet by 14 feet, multiple 12 by 14 to get 168 square feet.

3. Calculate the full area of the room even if you have small sections around closets or other physical features of the room that will not be covered with carpeting. To cover the floor completely, you will need to cut away these sections.

4. Consider purchasing two sections of carpet for rooms with L-shaped designs. Simply measure each section separately and calculate the square feet needed for each section following the same formula as above. Add the two together to determine the total square feet of the room for pricing. When purchasing the carpet in sections, it will be necessary to install each section separately and join the edges.