How to Buy a Properly Sized Area Rug

Area rugs can improve the appearance of a room by bringing color and texture to the room and cover bare floor. Area rugs can be either handmade or machine made and you can pick the perfect size for your room. Rugs can offer more versatility than carpet because carpet is usually best with a neutral color but you can change your rugs with the seasons. When you move, you can take your rug with you. Another advantage of area rugs is that they do not collect allergens like carpets do. To properly size your area rug, you need to know what the purpose of the rug is and what dimensions you need to measure.

Measuring tape

Instructions

- 1
  Determine the purpose for your area rug. The size of your rug is determined by whether you are trying to cover an entire room, covering underneath a coffee table or dining table, or covering a hallway.
- 2
  Measure the dimensions of what you are covering. For example, if you are covering a room or hallway, measure those dimensions. If you are covering under a table, measure the dimensions of the table.
- 3
  Now you can calculate the size rug that you need. For room rugs, you will want to leave a border of between 12 and 15 inches on all sides, so subtract 24 inches from the room dimensions (12 inches on each side) to find the maximum size and 30 inches from the room dimensions to find the minimum size. For example, if your room is 120 inches by 168 inches, you would want an area rug sized with a width between 90 and 96 inches and a length between 138 and 144 inches.
  
  For hallway area rugs, subtract 4 inches from the width and 24 inches from the length of the room. This is the minimum size for your hallway area rug; there is no maximum other than the size of the hallway itself. For example, if your hallway is 50 inches wide and 120 inches long, you would want an area rug between 46 inches and 50 inches wide and between 96 and 120 inches long.
  
  For dining tables, add 4 feet to the dimensions to allow for room for people to push their chairs back without edging off the rug. For example, if your table is four 4 wide and 6 feet long, you would want your rug to be 8 feet wide and 10 feet long. For coffee tables and other tables you will not be sitting at, use the dimensions of the table as the minimum dimensions of your area rug.

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