Repair is a very troublesome and costly business, because it is necessary to pay for the work of workers and purchase the necessary materials. Even if you are going to slightly refresh the room by replacing the wallpaper and flooring, you will certainly have to face a huge number of calculations so as not to get too much. The first question that arises immediately before the start of the repair is how to calculate the area of \u200b\u200bthe room, and the exact answer to it will help to avoid unnecessary expenses.
Why take measurements
Knowing how to calculate the area of a room is extremely important, and the measurements themselves directly depend on what kind of work is planned to be carried out in the room. When changing the interior, it may be necessary to calculate the area of the floor, ceiling, walls, and the volume of the room. And there are many reasons for this:
- The area of the ceiling is required to be known for the installation of suspended ceilings and the design of multi-level ceiling structures. This knowledge is also needed when installing stretch ceilings and even when painting and wallpapering the upper part of the room.
- Wall areayou also need to know for preparatory work, such as leveling walls, including drywall, and for purchasing wallpaper.
- Data on the floor area will be required when purchasing flooring and calculating the required amount of the selected material.
- The area of the bathroom must be measured to calculate the required number of tiles and other consumables.
- The dimensions and exact parameters of the room are also necessary to determine the cost of work, as masters often set prices for their services in terms of square meters, and not the number of rooms. If the masters take measurements on their own, you can always compare their calculations with your own and not overpay the workers for the extra calculated meters.
In addition, information about the areas is useful when selling a room, renting it out, and preparing various documents, and knowing how to correctly calculate the area of a room is not only necessary, but also very profitable.
How to calculate floor area
Determination of the floor area is necessary during the implementation:
- Finishing work.
- Installing a floor heating system.
- Heat and waterproofing of the room.
- Useable area definitions.
- Checking the room for compliance with the building plan.
- Determining the size of furniture, especially built-in.
Measuring the floor area of a room is quite simple: you need to use a tape measure to determine the length of the room and its width. The formula that allows you to calculate the area of \u200b\u200bthe room is: S=A x B, where A is the length and B is the width of the room.
These calculations are ideal for determining the floor area in square and rectangular rooms, you don't even need to remove built-in furniture to measure.
If certain items in the room cannot be removed, such as a fireplace, then the area that it occupies will need to be subtracted from the total measurements. Knowing how to calculate the floor area of a room can save you a lot of unnecessary expenses.
Calculation of wall area
Another important point during the repair is to determine the area of the walls. The answer to the question of how to calculate the area of a room for wallpapering or other finishing work is quite simple and does not require special mathematical knowledge or building skills.
Data on the exact area of the walls will help to purchase the required amount of finishing materials, which is extremely important, especially when they are purchased to order.
Windows and doors, which are certainly available in every room, should also be taken into account during calculations, subtracting their area from the total area of \u200b\u200bthe walls so as not to acquire unnecessary materials, especially when they occupy a significant part of the walls. Sometimes window and door openings are not taken into account so that a certain supply of material remains.
The formula for determining the area of the walls is similar to the formula for calculating the area of the floors: S=A x B, in this case, you will have to calculate the area of each wall separately, and then sum the resulting values.
Calculation of ceiling area
The area of the ceiling must be known regardless of what materials will be used to finish it, whether the structure will be flat or multi-level, etc. In modern design, ceilings are rarely covered with wallpaper, but in some cases this material is indispensable.
Knowing how to calculate the area of the ceiling in a room, you can easily determine the amount of materials for its decoration. If the room has the correct shape of a square or triangle, and there are no additional structures on the ceiling, then the ceiling area will be equal to the floor area. Difficulties can arise in the presence of protrusions on the ceiling, arcs, wave-like elements, with an irregular shape of the room. If the ceiling has a complex curvilinear structure consisting of several elements, then each of these elements will have to be measured separately and added to the total area of \u200b\u200bthe ceiling or subtracted if its finishing is not planned.
In irregularly shaped rooms, measuring the ceiling will be somewhat more difficult: you will need to determine the perimeter of the ceiling by summing the length of all lines, taking into account the protrusions, and recording the resulting results. Based on the measurement results, a sketch of the room is drawn. Which indicates the length of each line of the ceiling. The area of the ledges is determined by multiplying their length by the width and added to the resulting ceiling area.
Cases are not uncommon, especially in private homes where the ceiling has an inclined plane. Then it is measured firstthe side that has the same length along the floor and ceiling lines, then determine the length of the sloping side and multiply the results.
When determining the area of the ceiling in a room with irregular geometry, it makes sense to break the sketch of the ceiling into shapes of the correct geometric shape, for example, squares, triangles, semicircles, and calculate the area of each such shape separately, and then summarize the results.
How to calculate the area of an irregularly shaped room
Having an irregularly shaped room, many are faced with the problem of accurate calculation. Before taking measurements, in this case, it is worth drawing a plan of the room on paper, and then indicating on it all the results of the measurements.
It is easier to take measurements in such rooms using a special laser tape measure, which allows you to quickly and accurately determine not only linear, but also angular dimensions.
Before you calculate the area of the room, you will need to prepare the necessary tools:
- paper;
- roulette;
- pencil;
- calculator.
Often there are niches or ledges in rectangular or square rooms. In this case, the area of the niches is measured separately and added to the area of the room, while the area of the protrusions, on the contrary, is subtracted from it.
To understand how to correctly calculate the area of a room, you should try to divide the room layout into simple geometric shapes and measure each of the resulting elements separately with a tape measure. Then sum up all their areas.
Forthere are certain formulas for determining the area of each of the figures:
- Rectangle: S=A x B, where A is the length and B is the width of the room.
- Square: S=A x 2, since all sides of the figure are equal.
- Triangle: S=(Ah) / 2, where A is the length of the base and h is the height of the triangle.
- Trapezoid: S=1/2(A + B) x h, where A and B are the length of the parallel sides, and h is the height of the figure (the distance between the parallel sides).
- Circle: S=πR² / 2, π is 3.14 and R² is the square radius of the circle.
For those who find such calculations too complicated, there are special online calculators that accurately determine the area of the room after entering all the necessary measurement values \u200b\u200binto a special program. Often such calculations are required when creating complex designs. Knowing how to calculate the total area of a room, it will be much easier to purchase the right amount of different materials.
Even in well-shaped rooms, it makes sense to measure the length of each wall separately, since the measurements may show a difference that is imperceptible to the naked eye. Accurate measurements will help you not only avoid unnecessary expenses and get the exact amount of materials needed, but also come in handy when creating an interesting and complex design.
Calculating the area of a bathroom
During a bathroom renovation, accurate measurements are most important. This is explained by the fact that, as a rule, tiles are laid in the bathroom, and the cost of this finishing material is quite high, moreoverin case of acquiring an insufficient amount of it, it will be problematic to choose a suitable ceramic for the existing one. It is these reasons that make it necessary to figure out in detail how to calculate the area of \u200b\u200bthe bathroom.
To calculate the required areas, you will need paper, a pen, a calculator and a tape measure.
The easiest way is to draw a sketch of the bathroom or make it in a special computer program, since then it will be possible to mark on it the door to the bathroom, the window (if any) and other elements (ledges, niches, etc.), those present in the room.
For accurate calculations, you will need to measure the length and width of the room, as well as the height of the walls. For maximum accuracy, each wall should be measured separately, and it is highly desirable at several points along the height to make sure that the walls are even, or if they diverge, purchase finishing material with some margin.
The floor area of a bathroom is determined traditionally by multiplying the length and width of the room: S=A x B, where A is the length and B is the width.
To determine the area of the walls, you need the perimeter of the bathroom, defined as the sum of the length and width, multiplied by two, that is, in fact, the sum of all sides of the room: P \u003d (A + B) x 2. After calculating the perimeter. The resulting value is multiplied by the height of the walls, resulting in the area of all walls necessary to determine the amount of finishing material.
The area of the doorway is subtracted from the obtained value, the height and width of which must first be measured and multiplied.
Forto determine the number of tiles, the resulting floor and wall area is divided by the area of \u200b\u200bone tile, rounding the value to an integer. As a margin for trimming, you need to increase the resulting value by 10%.
Calculate the required number of wallpapers
For some finishing materials, such as wallpaper, wall perimeter calculations may also be required: P \u003d (A + B) x 2, where A and B are the length and width, respectively. The resulting value is divided by the width of the wallpaper roll and the required number of wallpaper strips for one wall is obtained. Knowing the number of strips for each wall, the resulting values are summed up and the total number of segments for the entire room is obtained, after which they are divided by the number of strips in one roll, while obtaining the required number of rolls for the entire room.
Knowing how to calculate the area of a room for wallpapering, you can easily determine the amount of material required for repair. Traditionally, the width of a wallpaper roll is 53 cm or 1 meter. Wallpaper for painting in most cases have a roll width of exactly 1 meter. In addition, wallpaper manufacturers also indicate their length, so you can easily determine the total area of \u200b\u200bthe canvas in one roll. The easiest way to determine the amount of material is to divide the area of the walls by the area of \u200b\u200bwallpaper in one roll. To determine the total area of the walls, the perimeter of the room is multiplied by the height of the walls to the ceiling.
In addition to the area of the room, the number of required wallpapers also directly depends on the chosen design. When wallpapering witha large pattern needs to be corrected for the offset of the stripes, since the pattern will need to be joined, and a reserve of material will be required. For more accurate calculations, manufacturers indicate rapport on the package - the distance through which the pattern on the canvas is repeated. The larger the rapport, the more waste will remain.
A popular option for decorating a room with wallpaper is a combination of material of different colors or patterns, and this should also be corrected when calculating the required amount. Often this technique is used in the bedroom, for example, highlighting the area at the head of the bed with contrasting wallpaper, or in living rooms, decorating one of the walls or part of the wall with a decorative wallpaper panel. In this case, the insertion area is calculated separately, the number of rolls required for it is determined, and the resulting value is subtracted from the total number of wallpapers per room in order to understand how much the main finishing material is required.
Calculation of the required amount of laminate
Laminate is a popular flooring material because it is comfortable to use and easy to install. Such material outwardly differs little from an expensive parquet board, and you can even lay it correctly with your own hands, without resorting to the help of professional builders. The cost of such material is quite affordable, however, in order to avoid unnecessary expenses, you need to know how to calculate the amount of laminate per room by area.
Before proceeding with the calculations, it is worth choosing the appropriatematerial, since the laminate may differ not only in color, but also in the size of the board, the method of installation, the number of boards in the package and other parameters.
Laminate manufacturers indicate the total area of the boards in the package, and to determine the required amount, the area of \u200b\u200bthe room in which the flooring will be laid is divided by the area of the laminate in the package. The resulting value is rounded up to the next whole number.
The smallest stock of material is required when laying laminate in a straight line - 10%. When laying the laminate diagonally, 20% should be added to the total area of the boards. If the laminate will be laid in the form of a decorative pattern, for example, herringbone or squares, then as much as 30% is added to the resulting amount of material.
When calculating the required amount of laminate, you should also take into account the configuration of the room, the presence of steps, columns and other built-in structures in it. To do this, a drawing of the room is created indicating the dimensions, after which it is necessary to calculate the floor area in the room and determine the amount of finishing material.
In addition to the laminate itself, other materials are also required to decorate the floor: underlayment, plinth, corners. The amount of substrate is calculated very simply - it is equal to the area of \u200b\u200bthe floor of the room. To determine the number of skirting boards, add 7-10% of the margin to the perimeter of the room and divide the resulting value by the length of one skirting board, rounding the result to an integer in the direction of increase. Corners are calculated according to the actual number of them in the room, separately external and separately internal. Also countingendings for skirting boards, required in the area at the door or opening.
Calculation should be taken seriously enough, because in case of purchasing an insufficient amount of material, there is always a risk of not finding a similar article in order to buy the missing strips. If you are not sure that you will be able to correctly calculate the area of \u200b\u200bthe laminate per room, you can use the online calculator to determine the required amount of material.
Reserve finishing materials
Accurate calculations are already half of a successful repair, but even if the areas of rooms, walls, floors and ceilings have been carefully measured to the nearest millimeter, it is worth remembering that backup material may always be needed.
In the case of tiles and laminate, a reserve is needed for trimming. When pasting walls with wallpaper, additional material is required to adjust the pattern.
There are certain standards for the reserve amount for certain materials, so that after the repair there is not a huge amount of various residues. For laminate, this reserve is about 10% with the traditional direct laying method. Wallpaper should also be purchased with some margin - from 10% or more, in the case of a large pattern and rapport.
Where to put the rest of building materials
In some cases, excess materials after repairs remain even when the calculations were as accurate as possible. Often this happens when plans have changed during the renovation process, for example, they decided not to glue the wallpaper behind the cabinets or not lay the flooring under the stairs. In addition, when wallpapering, quite large scraps often remain, which is a pity to throw away.
During the gluing process, such trimmings can be used in areas above the doorway and window, while the main thing is to match the pattern.
Surplus building materials can always be sold, and at a price similar to the purchase price, but with decorative materials this can no longer be done. It is unlikely that someone will purchase a roll of wallpaper or a pair of laminate boards. It makes sense to keep such small leftovers. For example, a spare laminate will come in handy if one of the finished flooring boards is accidentally damaged, as it can be easily replaced. For the same purpose, a started roll of wallpaper will also come in handy.
If there is a sufficiently large amount of material in the balance, you can always try to return it, but for this you will have to have all the receipts.
Repairs are always associated with large expenses, and therefore require accurate calculations. If you know how to calculate the area of a room in m2, you can save a lot without buying too much.
