How to Measure Vaulted Ceiling Rooms

Measuring Floor Area

• 1

  Walk along one wall of the room until you get to the center of that wall.

• 2

  Crouch down on the ground. Extend a measuring tape on the floor where the floor meets the baseboard to the opposite wall, staying in the center of the room. Mark the measurement where the floor meets the wall.

• 3

  Repeat this step starting with one of the walls neighboring the one you've just ended at. Write down the measurement.

• 4

  Multiply the length measurement by the width measurement of the room. This is the room's total area.

• 5

  Break the room up into squares or rectangles if the room has an irregular or L-shape, then add the calculated areas together.

Measuring Room Height

• 6

  Run a measuring tape or yardstick from the floor to the highest point on the ceiling vault. Climb a ladder, if necessary. Write down that measurement.

• 7

  Take floor-to-ceiling measurements at several points on the vaulted ceiling, depending on what you need the measurements for. If you're hanging a ceiling fan, for instance, measure the spot where you'd like to install the fixture, or try several areas until you get the desired floor-to-ceiling height.

• 8

  Measure the floor-to-ceiling using the same method at the lowest point on the vault. This may be useful if you're hanging a gigantic painting, for instance.

Measuring Ceiling Angle

• 9

  Find the ceiling rise. Measure from the highest point on the ceiling down to where it meets the wall. Record this measurement.

• 10

  Measure the run, or width from one wall to the opposite, at the point where they meet the ceiling. Write down that number.

• 11

  Divide the first measurement -- the rise -- by the second measurement -- the run. For instance, if the rise is 6, and the run is 12, you get .5 or 1/2.

• 12

  Find the inverse tangent of this number as an alternate to a roofing calculator. Use a scientific calculator or consult a table available online. For a 6:12 pitch, the angle measures 26.56 degrees.