What Size Area Rug Should I Buy?

Standard Sizes, Area, Price

• According to the World Floor Covering Association, area rugs come in standard sizes ranging from 2 feet by 3 feet all the way up to 9 feet by 12 feet. The incremental differences from one size to another may not seem like much, but in fact the area that a rug will cover rises dramatically between sizes. For instance, an 8-by-10-foot area rug covers 80 square feet, while a 9-by-12 rug covers 108 square feet. Consequently, the difference in price between the smaller rug and the larger one can be significant.

  Yet, price aside, it's important to the overall look of the room that you buy the right-sized rug. Too big, and you'll be rolling up a section of the rug to make it fit; too small, and it will look like a bath mat. Here's how to determine how large a rug you need to buy.

Design Considerations

• Decide on the look you want. Do you want the rug to cover most of the room, with only a small border of the floor showing around the edges? Do you want a rug just large enough to accommodate your couch, side chairs, and coffee table? You have to make this decision before you go shopping for a rug.

Measure, Measure

• Measure both dimensions of your room. To paraphrase the old carpenter's adage, measure twice, buy once. Draw a diagram of the room and mark the dimensions on it. Take the diagram and your measuring tape with you to the store.

  If you plan to put the rug under a furniture group, like living room seating or dining room furniture, arrange the furniture as you plan to use it and then measure the overall area it occupies. For a living room group, keep in mind that it's always better to have the legs of the couch and side chairs resting on at least the edge of the rug, to keep it from getting scrunched up underfoot. If the rug will go under a dining table and chairs, seriously consider getting a rug at least big enough for all the chairs to rest on it. Nothing is more annoying than trying to pull a chair up to a table and colliding with the edge of a bunched-up rug.

  If, on the other hand, you plan to have the rug cover most of the floor, calculate a border between 12 and 18 inches all around it.

Shopping

• With this information, you should have a general notion of how large a rug you need. Although rug merchants sell area rugs that are machine-made or handmade to order as "standard" sizes, each individual rug may vary slightly.

  First, pick the general size rug that will suit you and go through all those of that size one by one. As you go, have the merchant pull out the rugs you particularly like and set them aside. Then measure each candidate to ascertain precisely how large it is. Finally, find out the cost of each rug you've chosen.

  Above all, don't feel any pressure to buy immediately. Most reputable rug merchants will be happy to let you take a rug home on approval. You can take the rug home, roll it out, put your furniture on it, and live with it for a few days. Taking the time to conduct this experiment will help ensure that you're happy with the rug you ultimately purchase.