How To Measure Your Room For Flooring

Investing in new flooring whether it is solid wood flooring, engineered wood flooring or Luxury vinyl flooring, can make all the difference when it comes to making a house a home.

New flooring can add value, reduce energy costs, help with allergies and improve the aesthetics of your home.

One of the first things you need to do is to accurately measure the room or rooms in which you will be laying or installing your new flooring. This is because you will need measurements to be able to work out how much flooring you need, how many packs you will need to buy and therefore, which types of flooring are within your budget.

So, how to measure for flooring?

Don't worry, although accuracy is key it is a straightforward process just follow the tips in this article and you should have no problems.

Gathering Essential Tools

As measuring is key to knowing how much flooring and how many packs you need to order, using the right tools is an essential part of measuring for your new floor.

• Paper; use a decent size and if it helps you, use squared paper. This is to make a sketch or sketches of your room
• Pencil or pen to accurately record on the paper the measurements as you take them.
• Calculator; most people these days will simply use the calculator on their phone.
• Long, metal tape measure; using a tailor’s tape measure for large distances can give inaccurate results as fabric tape measures can also warp or stretch. Ensure your tape measure is long enough for the room you are measuring - otherwise, you can easily make mistakes.

Measuring the Room's Dimensions

Generally speaking, you will want to measure a room in square meters. This is because the majority of manufacturers of wood flooring, engineered wood, laminate floors and vinyl flooring use square meters.

If your room is a regularly shaped room, such as a square or rectangle, then the process of measuring for flooring is very easy - simply follow this simple method measure the length and the width in millimetres or metres and multiply them this will give you the result in square metres.

For example:

Length = 7.6m

Width = 6.2m

7.6m x 6.2m = 47.12m²

You must also measure any permanent fixtures and fittings within the room - such as a kitchen island. For these, measure the length and width and multiply and then subtract this measurement from your room measurement.

How to Measure for Flooring in an Irregular-Shaped Room

However, rooms are often formed of irregular shapes or include irregularly shaped features such as bay windows. So, how do you measure an l shaped room for example?

An easy way to do this is to sketch out your room on paper as accurately as possible and divide it up into squares and rectangles. The majority of rooms can be divided into smaller sections in this way using as many rectangles as you need. Then you measure the length and width and multiply each one to give you the measurement in square metres.

For example:

3.5m x 3.5m = 12.25m²

5.5m x 4.5m = 24.75m²

12.25m² + 24.75m² = 37m²

If you are measuring a circular room you would need to measure the radius which is the centre point of the room to the edge (any edge) multiply that by 2 (radius x radius) and then multiply it by pi or 3.14 (radius x radius x 3.14).

For a triangular room measure the length and width and multiply them but then divide by 2.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

There is a reason this saying is a classic one and that's because mistakes happen. However, it is easier not to mention more cost-effective, to double-check or even triple-check your measurements than to have to fix a mistake with ordering or with cutting your flooring at a later stage.

Adjusting for Wastage and Waste Factors

Allowing for wastage is standard practice when measuring for flooring whether it is wood flooring, LVT, carpet, laminate or any other. It would be annoying, impractical and potentially costly to run out of your chosen type of flooring in the middle of installation.

The measurement to allow for wastage is usually a percentage and this varies across different types of flooring.

For some types of wood flooring particularly patterned wood flooring such as herringbone, chevron or Versailles style parquet wood flooring you would need to allow for more wastage due to the constraints of the pattern and the inability to use offcuts as easily. If you are laying parquet yourself then a waste allowance of 15% is generally recommended. This can be reduced to around 12% with professional installation.

For straight-planked solid wood or engineered wood flooring for DIY installation the recommended wastage percentage is around 10% sometimes as little as 8% with a professional installer.

For LVT or laminate flooring, the wastage allowance should be between 5-10% depending on whether you are hiring a professional or attempting to install your new floor yourself.

Optimising Measurement Accuracy

Wherever possible, even if it means moving some furniture around, measure from corner to corner using the wall as a straight edge to help you get the most accurate measurements.

Take your time and as already mentioned repeat your measurements so you can spot any mistakes.

Double-check any calculations too and utilise the technology that is available such as a flooring calculator.

Utilising Flooring Calculators

There are a variety of flooring calculators available online. They are a great way to double-check your own calculations or to use from scratch.

They will do the calculating for you if you input the required information such as room length, room width, the cost of flooring per squared meter and the waste factor you want to allow.

Seeking Professional Assistance

A new floor is a substantial investment and at Wooden Floors UK we want you to make the best choices at every step of the way. That's why our experienced and knowledgeable team are always happy to help you whether you are struggling with the wide array of wooden floors to choose from, or are unsure of what type of flooring is best for your home.

And Finally

We hope that this article has helped you and suggest that you bookmark it for convenience for your future reference. We also remind you of the importance of accurate measuring for a new floor. 

It is also good to bear in mind that if you are unsure about measuring or any other aspect of installing your new floor then always consult a professional.