How to measure your home for flooring
Getting new flooring installed is an accessible home improvement that can significantly improve the overall look and feel of your home.
Not only can it make your home look instantly much more aesthetically pleasing, it can add value to your property and also make your time at home a tad more enjoyable.
And let’s face it, who doesn’t love padding around barefoot on shiny new flooring?
Whether you’re looking to get laminate flooring, oak flooring, or vinyl flooring, you’ll need to measure your home to get an estimate and work out how much you need to order. Once you have the size, you can get in touch with a flooring specialist to get a quote for the new floor for your home.
How to measure for flooring
Measuring a room for flooring doesn’t necessarily require a
flooring specialist. However, you should get your floor professionally measured
before you actually get it installed. The flooring
specialist you choose will be able to carry out a site
survey and measure for you before they lay down your floor. It could be that
they even throw this service in for free.
In the meantime, here’s how you can measure your home flooring using just a measuring tape, a pen, and a piece of paper. Spend a bit of time to measure properly so you can make sure you get the right amount. Ask around and see if you can find a friend to help out. The second pair of hands could come in useful, especially when navigating around tricky corners.
If you’re measuring a square or rectangular room
This is much easier than measuring an irregular room, as you can imagine.
Basically, you need to work out the square footage of the room where you want the new floors installed. Use measuring tape to determine the width and length of the room. Multiply the two figures and voila – you have the room’s square footage.
For instance, if your room is 10 metres x 10 metres, you have a 100 m2 room, and that’s how much flooring you’d need to cover the entire room. We’d recommend adding a waste factor of between 5 – 10%. This covers any cutting mistakes or board irregularities.
It’s as simple as that. But remember, to get a completely accurate measurement before your flooring is actually installed, get in touch with a professional. The measurements you do yourself will help you get a ballpark figure for your quote.
If you’re measuring an irregular room
Now, while this can be slightly trickier, it‘s still very doable. If your room is irregularly shaped, try drawing a rough sketch of the room layout. You can then identify where there are smaller squares and rectangles throughout the room, and simply measure them using the tactics mentioned in the point above.
All you then need to do is add all the sizes of each square/rectangular section of the room, and you’ll get the full measurement.
Some measuring tips to consider:
- Remember to measure into the floor skirting and any door frames. This is where your floor surface finishes so you need to measure right into it to get an accurate result.
- Don’t forget the waste factor – at least 5-10% is recommended to ensure cuts and waste are accommodated. This is really important because you’ll need to stagger any cuts in the flooring. And you may want to use leftover pieces for any future repair or replacement purposes
- Measure your floor in metres. This is likely to be the format that most flooring specialists in the UK use and supply your new flooring.
Get an experienced flooring specialist to measure before installation
As easy as it is for you to follow the above process and get measurements for flooring costs, we’d highly recommend checking with a floor specialist before your installation. You want to make sure you get the measurements just right so you can order the right amount. So use your own measuring process as a way to get a ballpark estimate, but get a more detailed and thorough one from an expert.
Remember, a measurement that is just a tiny bit off can make a huge difference. A professional will help ensure an exact measurement and fitting, which will make your flooring look as neat and high quality as possible.
Types of flooring to choose from:
There’s a lot of options to choose from within the world of flooring, but it all depends on the look you’re going for, as well as the level of maintenance you’re willing to put in.
Here are some of the most popular types of flooring:
Carpeting
The most popular kind of flooring in the UK, along with wood flooring, is a carpeted floor. Now, a carpeted floor does come with a number of benefits. There are a ton of options to choose from so you can find something which fits the aesthetic of your home. Not only does it add to the homeliness and comfort of your home, it provides a plush surface for those of you like to walk around barefoot.
Maintenance-wise, carpeting isn’t the easiest option, and it’s also easy for carpets to get worn out with foot traffic or fade due to sunlight streaming in.
Still, it definitely adds to the warm and cosy ambience of a home.
Laminate flooring
If you’re looking for a more affordable but still durable type of flooring,
consider laminate flooring. The advances in flooring technology mean that there
are now laminate floorings which can give you the exact look of wood flooring.
So essentially, you’re getting the same effect but at a much lower cost.
With the right care, laminate flooring can last more than 10 years. This makes
it great for busy households with lots of foot traffic, and for those of you
who are not keen to get your flooring replaced or refreshed every few years.
Wood flooring
Wood is the most popular flooring materials as it can look great in any room in your home. Oak, in particular, is a popular wood flooring choice and can add a classic and timeless look to your home. It also goes well with most types of interior decor.
Many people also decide to go for a wood effect flooring. This can be considerably cheaper and shouldn’t be dismissed – it can actually look surprisingly similar to the real thing!
Vinyl flooring
When you’re picking the right flooring for your home, you need to consider how much maintenance you’re willing to put in. There are certain floor surfaces which are much easier to clean than others. For instance, vinyl flooring is extremely easy to keep clean. All you need to do it is wipe it clean with a quick mopping session and you’re good to go. This makes it a great choice if you have children in the home or are just laying down flooring in a room with a lot of foot traffic.
You’d be surprised at just how versatile vinyl flooring can be. You can get vinyl flooring installed throughout your home, and get an individual looking pattern in each room. The bonus is that they’ll all be equally easy to clean!
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If you’re looking for new flooring solutions in Shrewsbury and Shropshire, we’d love to assist. At Cooper & Williams, we’ve been providing flooring across Shropshire since 1970. We can provide a range of different flooring surfaces that will transform the look and feel of your home.
Not only can we help you with your flooring surface choice, but
our flooring specialists also provide a site survey and measure to the
installation. If you avail our service, you’ll be well protected with a 20 year
guarantee.
To chat
through your options for bespoke flooring in Shrewsbury, give us a
call on 01743 850 711 or send an email to admin@coopwill.co.uk. We’d also like
to invite you to visit our showroom at Forton Depot, Forton Heath, Montford
Bridge, Shrewsbury, SY4 1HA.
