1. The first step is to take one room at a time. If it is a very large room, you may want to divide the room in half or thirds.



2. Now that you have the room that you will be starting with, look at the room and envision it empty.

3. Now that your room is empty, what shape is it? Is it Square, Triangular, Rectangular or Irregular?

4. If your room is triangular, the area of a triangle can be found by multiplying the base times one-half the height or the base times the height and then dividing this by two. Also, it really does not matter which one you call the base and which one you call the height since you will get the same result in the end. When doing your calculations, always use the same units of measurements, either all inches or all feet and not both (this is very important). You now have the square footage of your room.

5. If you room is rectangular, the area can be found by multiplying the long side by the short side. If all sides are pretty much the same, then multiply two sides together. When doing your calculations, always use the same units of measurements, either all inches or all feet and not both (this is very important). You now have the square footage of your room.

6. Not all rooms are so easy...at least at first glance. Some rooms have complex shapes to them. For these rooms, try and break down the room into the shapes mentioned above and then take one shape at a time.

7. Remember - always use the same units of measurement, always re-measure, always recalculate, and always allow for extra.