Estimating Carpet Size

A carpet installation estimate by a professional is sometimes greeted with a stunned expression by the homeowner, while in the back of her or his mind the question about the honesty of the installer may begin to take shape. While it is true that estimating carpet size sometimes leads to some rather odd figures, the truth of the matter is that this activity comes down to straight math, but unfortunately it is not as easy as measuring a perfectly square room – after all, how many rooms in your home are perfectly square and devoid of corners, closets, and other areas that need special care?

If anything, when going out to purchase carpet either for your entire home or just one room, the danger of under-estimating carpet size is greater than purchasing too much. While the latter may be inconvenient, the former will result in unsightly seams, the danger of using carpets made from different dye lots, and also simply running out of a carpet material that was purchased as a closeout and may no longer be available. To this end it is imperative that you know your math before you go out and buy room size carpet remnants, a wool carpet made to size, or that once in a lifetime carpet deal from the discount store. First and foremost, understand that any carpet you will want to buy is sold by the square yard. This misleads those who rely on those measurements when estimating carpet installation needs, because the actual product itself is sold on a roll that may measure either 12 or 15 feet in width, which will throw off all of your calculations if you are not aware of this. To find out your carpet pad size as well as estimating carpet size correctly, you need to first and foremost measure your room. Do not just eyeball it – the pros can get away with that, the hobbyist should not even try!

Convert your measurements to feet and then take the length of the room times the width. This total result gives you the square footage. To allow for mistakes, shortages, errors and the like, add 10 square feet. Now take your final number and divide it by nine and - voila! – you now have the actual square yardage. This is not that hard! However, if you want to know what size room do carpet tiles cover, you will need to take into account the carpet tile size as well as the carpet pad size and go from there. No matter what carpeting product you are thinking of using on stairs, oddly shaped closets, wrap around rooms, and other locations that will make a carpet and installation estimate hard for the novice, it is wise to let a pro have a go at it. Remember that a commercial carpet estimate can save you a lot of money in the long run! Interestingly, a carpet cleaning estimate differs from the estimate on carpets for the sake of install simply since the carpet estimate for cleaning is done by room and stairs, not yardage. Last but not least, estimating carpet size can be done on the ‘Net as well. Do not hesitate to use all tools available for your carpet installation estimate; remember that estimating carpet size correctly the first time around will save you time and money!