How to measure a room
for flooring.

1. Sketch the space before you measure

Start with a tape measure or suitable measuring tool, a way to record dimensions, and a rough sketch. Label the room, doors, closets and alcoves. Mark which areas will receive the new flooring, including connected spaces that are easy to overlook.

You do not need a drawing to scale. You do need every measurement attached to the correct wall or section. Move obstacles where practical so you can identify the actual floor boundary. Record dimensions in one unit system throughout.

2. Calculate the square footage of a rectangular room

Measure the floor's length and width at right angles to each other. In a rectangular room, multiply those two dimensions. If the walls are not parallel or square, a single length and width may not describe the space accurately; divide the shape into simpler areas or ask your installer to measure it.

Convert inches before multiplying

Divide the inches by 12 and add that amount to the whole feet. A length of 12 ft 6 in is 12.5 ft, not 12.6 ft. A room measuring 12 ft 6 in by 10 ft has an area of 12.5 × 10 = 125 sq ft.

For metric measurements, multiply meters by meters to get square meters. Convert centimeters to meters by dividing by 100 before calculating. Avoid mixing feet and meters in the same calculation.

3. Split an L-shaped room into rectangles

Draw a dividing line across the inside corner to form two rectangles that do not overlap. Measure each rectangle independently, calculate its area, and add the results. Include each piece of floor only once.

Use our floor area and square footage calculator to add rectangular sections and view the result in square feet, square meters or square yards. It calculates area from dimensions you enter; it does not measure the room for you.

A closet can be measured as another rectangle and added if it will receive flooring. For curved walls, angled corners or complicated layouts, record extra dimensions and ask the installer to confirm the area instead of forcing the room into a rectangle.

4. Separate floor area from the material order

The room's area tells you how much floor you measured. It does not automatically tell you how much flooring to buy. Cuts, layout direction, pattern matching, product size and spare material can change the quantity needed.

Use the allowance recommended for your specific product and installation layout. There is no single waste percentage that suits every floor. Carpet roll widths and seams also require a cutting plan; square footage alone is not a complete carpet order. Our guide to measuring a room for carpet explains roll layout, closets and square-yard conversion.

How the measurement helps with different flooring projects

The same floor outline supports several projects, but each material has its own ordering details.

• Carpet: start with room dimensions, then plan roll width, seams and pile or pattern direction with the installer.
• Vinyl plank and laminate: record floor area, then check the product's pack coverage, layout and cutting allowance.
• Tile: include the intended pattern, tile sizes and cuts when converting area into quantities.
• Epoxy and floor coatings: record the surface area, then use the chosen product's coverage, coat count and preparation requirements. Area alone does not tell you whether the floor is ready for a coating.

Keep the original room measurements with the project so anyone reviewing the order can see how you reached the starting area.

Can you measure a room with your phone?

A compatible camera measurement app can help record a room outline and its dimensions. Results depend on the phone, lighting, visible surfaces, movement and point selection. Check important dimensions with an independent measuring tool before purchasing materials.

I Measure Pro is a room and floor measurement app for work and home projects. The Android app uses point-to-point camera capture for horizontal room outlines, wall lengths, area and perimeter. Android is available on Google Play through our Android download page. The Apple version for iPhone and iPad is in development. Read the general Android room-measurement guide for the capture-to-report workflow.

The app's room area measurement is not a material-order calculation. See how the measurement workflow works or see the plan.

Before you hand over your measurements

• Name each room and label every measured section.
• Use consistent units and convert feet and inches correctly.
• Include closets and alcoves receiving flooring.
• Check that sections neither overlap nor leave gaps.
• Keep floor area and material-order quantity separate.
• Recheck dimensions and confirm the layout with your installer.