A carpet calculator will help you determine how much carpet you need to buy for a specific room.

A carpet calculator isn't really a calculator. It's a formula that's used for determining how much carpet you need for a room. It's extremely important that you order enough carpet to cover your room. You can cut your carpet if it's too big for the room, but you can't do anything about having carpet that's too small for the room. Also, it's extremely labor intensive and expensive to lay carpet only to find out that it doesn't fit the room. Then you have to rip it up, order new carpet and lay it down again. This is not cheap so use a carpet calculator and get it right on the first try!

Most carpeting manufacturer's Web sites have "carpet calculators," or a system to estimate your carpet needs. Companies put this on-line because they want to help their customers place their order. If you order your carpet in the store rather on-line, the store clerk will be able to tell you how much carpet you need. However, they won't be able to make an accurate estimate if you don't give them correct room dimensions.

Getting the Right Carpet Dimensions

You need to get out a tape measure and measure the length and width of the room you want to carpet. If you want to carpet more than one room, measure each room individually. This is the all the information you'll need for a carpet calculator. You put this into the calculator and then it figures out how much carpet you need.

If you're going to be your own carpet calculator, multiple the two dimensions (length and width) together. This will give you the floor's square footage. Any fractions should be rounded up to the next foot. It's OK to have a little extra carpet, but it's not OK to have too little carpet.

Now, this formula works quite well for a square or rectangular room, but what about those funky spaces? Oddly shaped spaced, such as stairs, can also be measured using a modified formula. If the stairs are different sizes, measure each one separately using the carpet calculator. Remember if you want the carpet to totally cover the stairs, you're going to need to measure the back of the stairs as well. If your stairs are the same size, you'll only need one measurement.

If you don't feel comfortable measuring your own space, have a professional come to your home. They'll measure each room and do the calculations for you.

Why Choose Carpet?

Carpet is a great decorating tool. It's also a good insulator. Carpet helps trap cool air in the summer and warm air in the winter. It's also very pleasant to walk on. Some people don't like the feel of wood floors and other coarser surfaces.

If you like the feel, look and benefits of carpet, get out your calculator and start measuring! Once the carpet calculator figures out the dimensions of your carpet, you can make your purchase.