If the floors in your home are old, tired or outdated, it might be time to replace them. When making the decision to undertake this home renovation, one of the most important things you can do is take accurate measurements. Taking good measurements helps you to know how much material to buy and most accurately budget your money and time.

Not all Rooms Are Perfect Squares

When renovating a room that is a perfect square or rectangle, taking good measurements is a relatively simple task. Use a tape measure to get the length of the room, and then do the same thing to get the width. Multiply these two numbers, and the final number should be an accurate measure of the space you need to cover with your new flooring. One tip to keep in mind is to measure to the back of any door frames that come into or go out of the room. Including the small amount of space that is in these spaces can help you to ensure your carpeting, wood or laminate floors can be fitted correctly during installation.

While the task of measuring for Edmonton home renovations that include square or rectangle rooms is pretty straight forward, most homes have at least one odd shaped room. If the shape of the room is changed by walls, fireplaces, bay windows or other recesses, another method of measuring must be used. While you can still use length x width to get your final number, include two length measurements. One should be the length of the exposed wall area, and the other should be the length of the recessed area. Add the two numbers together to get your total length, and then multiply by the width of the room.

Sometimes rooms in Edmonton homes are closer to a u-shape or even a complete circle. To replace the flooring in these rooms, measure length x width through the middle of the recess. Divide that number by half, and then multiply it by the width. Next, calculate the total by pi to get your area measurement.

Replacing Wood Flooring on Stairs

Staircases and landings are other areas that many homeowners want to replace the flooring in. For stairs, you can use the length x width measurement as stated above, but make sure to get separate measurements for the tread and risers. Add these two figures together, and then multiply by the number of stairs in the home. This gives you an amount of material to buy for the total area of flooring that needs to be replaced.

Replacing flooring on a landing is especially tricky and requires very exact measurements. It is recommended that you consult with an Edmonton general contractor if you want to replace flooring in this area. Taking this step will help you to get the most accurate measurements and the most professional looking finished product.

Another thing to keep in mind when replacing the floors in your Edmonton home is that different types of materials require some different measurement techniques. For instance, wood and laminate are sold in packs with a certain number of square meters of flooring material in each pack. To make sure you purchase enough material, take the area of your room and divide it by the number of meters in each pack. The final figure is the number of boxes of material you should plan to purchase. Carpeting is sold in rolls, and some rooms require that you purchase extra rolls and create joints because of their width. To ensure that you purchase enough carpet, consider consulting with an Edmonton flooring expert for guidance.

Replacing the floors in your Edmonton home is not as simple as it appears, and taking accurate measurements is key to making your project run smoothly. The experts at Alair Homes Edmonton can guide you through this process in a transparent way that saves time and money. To learn more and schedule your free, no obligation consultation, give us a call.