How to Measure Carpet Yardage

Create a Sketch

• 1

  Sketch the room you want to carpet. Draw an outline of the room's shape. It does not need to be to scale.

• 2

  Measure the room. Be sure to measure from the baseboards and not the walls. Mark these measurements on the diagram.

• 3

  Round your measurements to the next highest foot. If you get a measurement of 6 feet 9 inches, round up to 7 feet. Indicate rounded measurements on your diagram.

• 4

  Include nooks and closets in your measurements and diagrams.

• 5

  Multiply the length and width of the room to find the square footage of the floor.

• 6

  Divide the square footage of the room by nine. This tells you the amount of carpet, in square yards, you will need.

• 7

  Multiply the square yardage by 10 percent (.10) to account for seam allowances at doorways.

Stairs

• 8

  Measure the length of the horizontal surface of the stairs (the tread) to the edge of the vertical surface (the riser). Add two inches to this measurement to account for carpet padding.

• 9

  Multiply the measurement of the stairs by the number of steps you need to carpet.

• 10

  Measure the width of the step from wall to wall. Add two inches to the measurement.

• 11

  Multiply the two measurements to find the square footage needed.

• 12

  Divide the square footage by nine to determine the square yardage needed to cover the stairs.