Calculate Carpet on Stairs
Renovation projects can be daunting and expensive, but breaking them into smaller, manageable steps, like measuring, removes some of the intimidation. Knowing how to calculate carpet for stairs accurately helps reduce the expense by avoiding waste.
Steps
- Measure 1 stair tread, which is the horizontal part of the stair on which you step, from one side to the other side, from the wall to the rails.
- Round your measurement to the nearest foot (meter), and record the width measurement. If you plan to install a carpet runner only, measure the width of the area that you plan to cover.
- Measure across the tread, from where the riser (the vertical part) meets it and down the height of the riser.
- For this measurement, you are measuring in the opposite direction from your first measurement, across the short distance of the tread. This will be the measurement used for the height of each stair. If the tread overhangs the riser, measure back to the riser itself under the overhang and then down to the bottom.
- Round the height measurement to the nearest foot (meter), and record it.
- Multiply the measurements to determine the square footage, or area, of one step.
- Add 3 inches (7.62 cm) if you plan to use carpet padding on the stairs.
- Count the stairs and record that number.
- Multiply the area of one stair step by the number of steps. This is the total area, or square footage, for the stairs you plan to carpet.
- Divide the total area by 9 to determine the number of square yards needed. Alternately, enter the measurements into an online carpet calculator. (You will not need to divide for metric measures.)
Tips
- Before purchasing your carpet, consult with a specialist to allow for the nap of the carpeting and any seams that may be necessary.
- If your stairs are not all the same size, use the same techniques to determine the area of each stair separately. Add the measurements together to calculate the total area and amount of carpeting you will need.
- Measure landings separately from the stairs themselves.
Related Articles
- Buy Moroccan Carpet
- Measure for Stairs
