Wall-to-wall Carpet comes in rolls of (mostly) 4m wide. So how do I work out how much I will need?

This is something that we suggest you get a professional to come out and do the measuring themselves, but the information below will help you do your own calculations.

Firstly - what is the difference between a Square Metre, and a Linear (or Running) Metre?

When you have a product like carpeting that comes on a roll, the product is actually supplied by linear metre.

A square metre is 1m (length) x 1m (width); whereas a linear metre is 1m (length) x the width of the product. In the case of (most) carpets, this is 1m x 4m. 

So when a professional is calculating how much you need, they will play less attention to the Square Metres required, and more to how many linear metres are required, inclusive of joins (and if required, pattern matching). And they'll have to ensure that the pattern/roll direction always lines up.

If you're doing this at home, here are some helpful hints....

• Do a drawing of the room(s).
• Make sure you are measuring from inside door recesses - you want to make sure you are getting the furthest point - to - the furthest point.
• With multiple rooms, or where carpets need to be joined, always ensure that the carpet is running in the same direction (in other words if the carpet is oriented north-south, you cannot join a piece that is running east-west; you have to turn this piece to run north-south).
• Some carpets can only be joined on the seam or the length of the carpet.
• Pay attention to where joins may go - joins are weak spots, so you wouldn't want to put it in the middle of a busy doorway, for example
• Finally, there may be more than one way to calculate the material required. For example, on some installations, the material required can be reduced with extra joins. This becomes a cost-benefit discussion...