Carpet cost by room size, with a worked example
Multiply the room length by the width to get the floor area, then add for roll width. Carpet comes in fixed widths, usually 4m and 5m, so the metreage you buy is almost always more than the floor area of the room.
Floor area is not the same as carpet bought
A room 3.2m by 4.5m has a floor area of 14.4 square metres. But if the carpet comes on a 4m wide roll, you buy 4m by 4.5m, which is 18 square metres. That 3.6 square metre difference is the roll width waste, and every honest quote includes it.
This is why turning the carpet the other way sometimes saves money and sometimes does not. It depends on the roll width available on the day.
Worked example, three bedroom house
Say you have a main bedroom 4.0m by 3.5m, a second bedroom 3.2m by 3.0m, a third bedroom 2.4m by 2.2m, a landing roughly 3.0m by 1.0m, and a straight stair run of thirteen treads.
On a 4m roll the main bedroom takes 4.0 by 3.5, the second takes 4.0 by 3.2, the third takes 4.0 by 2.4 unless a narrower roll end suits it better. The stairs need a continuous length, usually around 5m to 6m for a standard run, and the landing can often be cut from the same length.
Add those together and you are buying roughly 40 square metres of carpet plus the same area of underlay. That is the number to price, not the 31 square metres of actual floor.
How to cut the total honestly
Use clearance roll ends for the smaller bedrooms, where a limited length is not a problem. Put the money into the stairs and landing, which take the most traffic. Buying different carpets between rooms is completely normal and it is usually the cheapest route to a whole house.
Common questions
- What allowance should I add to my measurements?
- Measure the widest point of the room in both directions and add a small allowance for door recesses. We will do the roll width calculation for you.
- Do stairs cost more?
- Yes. Stairs need a continuous length and are slower to fit, so both the material and the labour cost more than a flat room.
- Can you price from a sketch?
- Yes. Send rough room sizes and we will come back with a price, usually within one working hour.
- What payment methods can I use?
- Cash, all major credit and debit cards, Amex and bank transfer.
- Can I get a real price rather than an estimate?
- Yes. Send your room sizes and we will quote against what is actually in stock. Quotes are free and no obligation, and we will beat any legitimate quote you already hold.