How to Convert Tatami to Meters Square
Tatami is a flooring style of growing popularity in western countries. It adds a crisp, exotic look to a room while remaining easy to clean. Converting from tatami to meters square is just like converting from any other form of measure. Although one can buy similar mats in many sizes, a true tatami mat comes in just one size. In fact, Japanese often describe the dimensions of apartments and other rooms in terms of tatami. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Converting Tatami to Square Meters
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1
A standard tatami mat is 6 ft by 3 ft.
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2
One foot = .3048 meters, therefore a standard tatami mat is 1.8288 m long and .9144 m wide.
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3
To find the area of a rectangle, multiply length times width. Therefore, a standard tatami covers 1.67225472 meters square.
Converting a Floor Already Covered with Tatami
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4
Count the number of full tatami mats on the floor.
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5
Multiply the number of mats by 1.67225472. This is the measurement of the area of full tatami mats.
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6
Find any odd-sized tatami in the room.
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7
Measure the dimensions of the odd-sized tatami.
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8
Multiply the length by the width of each odd-size tatami, then add the result to the total from step 2. This is the total area by meters square.
Determining How Many Tatami You Need to Floor a Room
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9
Measure the floor space of the room you intend to cover; write down the length and width.
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10
Draw a floor plan of the room and block out the positioning of full tatami mats. This may be simple, or quite complex. For example, a 12 ft x 6 ft space is easy to calculate because it matches the exact dimensions of standard tatami mats. A 9 ft x 8 ft space, however, despite having an identical floor area, would be far more complicated to calculate.
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11
Identify the portions of floor that won't accommodate standard-size tatami mats.
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12
Measure those nonstandard portions of floor.
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13
Order custom-cut tatami mats for the necessary floor sections.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Although many Japanese buildings are constructed to exact tatami dimensions, others will have half-tatamis or tatami cut to specific dimensions. In such cases, just measure the edges and use the above formula to determine the area of a rectangle.
Japanese tatami may be attractive and easy to clean, but they do require pretty advanced maintenance. Tatami hold moisture well and can grow mold and mildew. They should be installed on a subfloor that allows adequate airflow.
