How to Measure a Room for Furniture

You’ll need a few tools to measure your space.

• Tape measure

Every homeowner should have a cased tape measure. They’re invaluable for hanging pictures, DIY projects and measuring rooms.

• Paper and pencil

Letter size paper, lined or unlined, on a pad or clipboard. Sharp pencil or pen.

• Step stool (optional)

For reaching difficult spots.

• Friend (optional)

For moving furniture and helping with measuring tape, and most importantly, double-checking measurements.

• Painter’s tape (optional)

For marking off furniture on the floors and walls.

Measuring a room, step by step:

1. To begin, clear the space to be measured as best you can.
   

2. Next, roughly sketch the room on the paper. Mark the openings like windows, doors and steps. Include architectural features like fireplaces and bookshelves.
   

3. With the measuring tape, measure the length and the width of the room. Stand at one wall, extend the tape measure across the floor and press it against the opposite wall, at the baseboard.
   Note measurement on the sketch.

4. Measure the height of the ceiling. Note measurements on your sketch.

5. Measure the doors and note how far into the room the door swings.
   

6. Measure the architectural details: Put the tape against the wall and measure the distance from the wall to the window. Measure the window from trim to trim. Measure from the window trim to the opposite wall. Add these measurements to your sketch.

Remember that walls, floors and ceilings can be uneven, especially in older construction. For this reason, it’s a good idea to take measurements at several positions in the room.

Consistency is important when you measure. Outside edge to outside edge is the standard when measuring a room.

How to measure for furniture:

• In a bedroom, measure the bed first, center it on the wall and choose night stands to fit on either side. Once you have the furniture measurements in place, you can measure for rugs. You want the largest area rug that will fit in the space.

• In a dining room, you’ll need 3 to 4 feet between the table edge and the wall. This leaves room for chairs to be pulled away from the table.

Tip: You can use painter’s tape to mark the places on the floor where furniture will go. This will help you envision how the furniture will fit in your room.

A key step when ordering furniture is ensuring that you will be able to get the furniture inside your home once delivered. Always measure doorways and stairways before placing your furniture order.

Know the height, width and depth for the furniture that you want in your space. This can be found in the product details in the online description.

Measure doorways, pathways and stairways to your home. If there are elevators and hallways, get those measurements, too, including the elevator door opening. These measurements must be greater than the furniture dimensions in order for the furniture to be moved into your space.

When measuring, you’ll want to use the interior measurement of the doorways, passageways and hallways. Note the placement of architectural details like doorknobs, light fixtures and trim like chair rail on your sketch.

Tip: Measure twice for accuracy. Ask a friend to help with running the tape measure and making sketches.