IN THIS POST
– What You’ll Need
– How to Calculate Square Footage
– Calculating Waste Percentage
– Flooring Calculator
– Wall Covering Calculator
It is imperative to calculate the area of a room before you start shopping for a new carpet, hardwood flooring, floor tiles or even wallpaper and paint. Whether you are moving into a new home or merely redecorating your place, knowing how to calculate the square footage of a room will help you plan the perfect layout, choose the right furniture and buy the right amount of flooring and wallpaper.
So, before you make any big purchases to spruce up your home décor, make sure to learn how to calculate the square footage of a room using this comprehensive guide.
What You Will Need to Calculate the Area of a Room
Here are the things you’ll require to measure the square footage of a room.
- A tape measure
- A calculator
- A pen and paper or a device for noting down measurements
How to Find the Square Footage of a Room
Before you pull out the tape measure and start measuring the area of a room, make sure to remove any heavy furniture or object placed between the opposite walls that you will be measuring. Once space is cleared, place one end of your tape measure against one wall and secure it with tape before extending it to the opposite wall. Keep the measuring tape straight and record the measurement one it reaches the opposing wall.
Repeat the same process to measure the difference between the other set of opposing walls to find the area of your room in square feet.
Finding the Square Footage of a Regular-Shaped Room
If your room is rectangular or square-shaped, all you need to do is calculate the distance between the two sets of opposing walls and then multiply the length of the room by the width of the room.
Square footage of a room = Length of a room x Width of a room
For example, if there is 12 feet of distance between the first two walls and 16 feet between the other two walls, you will calculate the area size of a room by multiplying 12 feet by 16 feet. In this case, the square footage of a room will be 192 sq ft.
Finding the Square Footage of an Odd-Shaped Room
It is very common for rooms to have an odd or irregular shape. In such cases, you will need to calculate the room size twice. First, you will use the aforementioned technique to find the area of your room in square feet. Then, you’ll have to calculate the length and width of the irregular-shaped part of the room and multiple it before adding it to the area size of the main section.
Here’s a formula that will further clarify this method.
Square footage of the main section = Length of the main section x Width of the main section
Square footage of the other section = Length of the other section x Width of the other section
Total square footage of the room = Square footage of the main section + Square footage of the other section
How to Find the Waste Percentage
Now that you know how to calculate the area of a room, you are halfway ready to start purchasing the flooring materials and wall coverings for your space. Finding the exact size of the room in square feet tells you exactly how much material is ideally required, but it might not leave you with enough material needed to get the job done – especially if you have an irregular-shaped room.
Therefore, it is important to buy some excess material in a matching pattern that can be used if you make a mistake during the installation process. The best way to go about this is to calculate the waste percentage. It is the amount of excess material calculated based on the square footage of a room.
Feeling confused? Well, we’ve got you covered.
First things first, every material has its own waste percentage. In most cases, it’s 10%. You should start by converting the waste percentage to its decimal. For example, 10% would turn into 0.1 while 20% will turn into 0.2.
Then, multiply this decimal by the square footage of your room. The result will show you the amount of the excess material you need to purchase. For instance, if you multiply 0.1 by 192 sq ft, the answer will be 19.2. Now add 19.2 into 192 to get 211.2. Round it off to 212 sq ft, which is the recommended amount of material required to cover the floor of a 12 ft x 16 ft room.
Waste Percentage for Flooring
Carpet: You should ideally add between 10% and 20% waste percentage to the area of your room. This will allow you to easily install the carpet in entryways and also leave room for error.
Furthermore, don’t forget to check out our guide on different types of carpets and their prices in Pakistan.
Hardwood: Since hardwood flooring is already sold by square feet, calculating the excess required for this material is rather easy. As a rule of thumb, add between 5% and 10% of excess to the actual area size of the room by using our square footage calculator above.
On a side note, here is a comparison between hardwood and softwood flooring that you might find useful.
Tiles: As you may already know, tiles are very prone to breaking and cracking during the installation process. Depending on the pattern and style of your tiles, you may want to buy 15% to 30% excess material.
Here are some popular types of flooring tiles and their rates in Pakistan.
Waste Percentage for Wall Coverings
Wallpaper: Experts recommend buying 10% extra wallpaper for a seamless application. However, since wallpapers are usually sold in a set of two rolls, you should either buy an extra set or a single roll in corresponding pattern and colour. In case you are left with a lot of excess material, you can easily use it to cover the insides of your cabinets and closets. Not to mention, you can also use it as a tapestry or wall art.
Take a look at the pros and cons of different types of wallpapers to determine which one would be the best fit for your home.
Paint: A gallon of paint is usually enough to cover a surface of 350 sq ft in a single coat. For a double coat, you’ll need twice the amount of colour. Here is a handy paint calculator for walls and ceilings that will tell you exactly how much paint you need to buy.
That’s a wrap for our guide on how to calculate the area of a room in square feet.
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