Whether you are looking to replace your floors, paint, or plan for new furniture, knowing what size your space is essential in the planning process. From odd-shaped rooms to rectangular, knowing how to measure a room in square feet will help make your next project easier. Here’s your guide for calculating square footage in any room so you gather the measurements you need.

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How to Measure a Room in Square Feet
Measuring a Square or Rectangular Room
Measuring an Odd-Shaped Room
Measuring Walls

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How to Measure a Room in Square Feet

What You’ll Need

• Tape Measure
• Paper
• Pen
• Calculator (optional)

Tip!

When calculating square footage of any room, remember to follow the formula: L x W = A

Measuring a Square or Rectangular Room

When measuring a square or rectangular room, you will need to find the length and width of the space. Start at one end of the wall and measure along the wall to the end of the other side with your tape measurer. Once you have found the length, it’s time to measure the width. Again, start at the end of the wall and measure along the wall to the other end. Then take the length and multiply it (with your calculator) by the width to get the square footage (or area) of the room.

Measuring an Odd-Shaped Room

Not all rooms are rectangular or square. Sometimes they have cut outs, like closets and bay windows, or permanent structures, like islands, in the way of easily measuring the space. However, you will measure the space similarly to a rectangular room. Start by measuring the rectangular part of the room and find the length and width of that area. Then it is time to add the square footage of the cut out (or subtract that of a permanent structure). Calculate this area by measuring the length and width of the small area. Find the square footage of that space and add it to the square footage of the rectangular space to get the total square footage of the room. If the room is L-shaped or even T-shaped, you will use this same method.

Measuring Walls

If you are looking to paint or wallpaper your space, you will need to find the total square footage of your walls. To do this, you’ll measure wall height and length to find the total square footage of each individual wall. Then add the total square footage of each wall together. After, measure the square footage of each window and door in the room. Subtract the square footage of the windows and doors from the total square footage of the room. This will help you determine how much paint or wallpaper you will need for the space.

Tip!

If you are measuring your room for paint, flooring, or wallpaper, be sure to purchase extra material (roughly 15%) as a buffer. This will take into consideration any cuts or mistakes that happen along the way, ensuring you don’t run short on your project.

Now that you know how to measure a room in square feet, it’s time to gather your materials!