Whether you’re moving in or getting new furniture, everyone needs to measure a room eventually. Can you measure it with your feet? Is there an easier way than a tape measure? Naturally, if you happen to know the exact size of your own feet, you could try measuring that way, but it could get dicey if you need an accurate measurement. Plus, human feet tend to spread a little throughout the day if you’re walking around a lot. Moreover, you will run into a problem if the room is not an exact number of your feet long. In short, it’s a bad system. Nonstandard measurement is fun in school as a kid, but it’s not the way to go if you need precise, reliable data for an adult project. Still, a standard measuring tape can be difficult to work with. Fortunately, I have been DIYing long enough to know quite a few handy tricks. I will share what I’ve learned about measuring rooms of any size and dimensions, so you can get the data you need and finish your project.
How do you measure a room with your feet? You measure a room with your feet carefully and only as a last resort. Start by setting one heel against the wall, and then walk, laying your heel to the toe before it with no space between. You’ll need to walk the distance across the room in both directions and keep an accurate count of how many of your feet it is. You can measure your feet later to calculate square footage, but it probably won’t be perfectly accurate.
How Do You Measure a Room By Yourself
You don’t need another person to measure a room. You can easily do it yourself. I will explain how to measure a room with just your feet. I’ll also show you an even easier way to accomplish this task without any additional help.
How To Measure A Room With Your Feet
Measuring a room with your feet is alright if you only need a rough estimate. Using nonstandard measurement is a great way to get an idea of space, but it’s rarely going to give you the exact measurement. Follow the steps below to get your ‘foot’ measurement as close as possible to perfect.
- Gather your materials. For this technique, you need a magic marker, a sheet of paper, a ruler, and your bare feet.
- Setting your shoes aside, find a spot in front of an outlet. These are typically about three feet from the corner, and they make a good starting point.
- Place your heel flat against the wall in front of your outlet. Then place your other foot, with the heel touching your toes, and count the ‘feet’ across the room. Remember that you always need your toes touching your heels.
- If the final step is less than a full foot, place your toes against the wall and use your marker to make a line where the other foot’s toes touch the side of your foot. This gives you a partial measurement you can check against a ruler later.
- Write down the number of steps you took.
- Repeat the process going the other direction.
- Measure your foot. Multiply each number of steps by the length of your foot and add the ‘extra’ from where you marked your foot.
- Multiply those two numbers together to get the square footage of the room.
While this is reasonably accurate, people’s feet tend to be slightly different sizes. If you want a perfect room measurement without needing to do all the extra steps (no pun intended), get a good laser measure. Use your laser to measure the room in both directions and multiply those two numbers to precisely calculate your total square footage.
Pro Tip: This only works on even rooms. If your room is not a square or rectangle, or the angles are off, you will not get square footage with this method.
A TackLife Laser Measure from Amazon will give you an easy and accurate measurement with no assistance needed. The standard tape measure comes in handy if you need to check the size of things you want to put inside the room. However, it’s the laser measure that gives you perfect room dimensions every time. Plus, it has a magnetic hook, so you can hang it up on any magnetic metal for easy access when you’re done. Learn more when you click here.
How Do You Measure a Room Quickly
Using your feet is fine, but there are better, and more importantly, quicker ways to measure a room. The fastest and most accurate way to measure a room is with a laser measure. Best of all, laser measures are easy to use. You need a fully charged laser measure and the floor of your room.
Set the laser measure in one corner and measure to the end of the room. Note down the total, and turn the laser to measure the other direction in the same room.
Once you have two totals, you can multiply these numbers to get your square footage. Especially if you’re good at math or have a calculator, you can do this in about a minute.
The Handife Laser Tape Measure from Amazon can measure any room in a flash. Not only do you get incredibly accurate readings, but there’s no need to mess around with long tapes. Better still, the easy-to-read LCD screen gives you a simple, large readout. Plus, it’s easy to recharge with a USB port. Click to read the outstanding Amazon reviews right here.
Can I Measure a Room With Smartphone
Although I prefer a good laser measure for accuracy, you can measure a room with your smartphone. Both iPhones and Android have apps that will help you find the dimensions of your room. Using this method fairly accurately. Certainly, it’s more likely to get you the right number than your feet.
PLNAR for iPhone and Measure for Android will both handle this type of measurement. Once you’ve downloaded the program, follow the directions. You’ll be tapping on the edges and corners of an image to get a reading. However, this style of measure’s downside is that it requires both a steady hand and a compatible phone.
If you have Android, you will need the Google ARCore platform. Most modern phones can support this, but you may find an older phone isn’t compatible.
How To Measure a Room With a Tape Measure
Your feet and lasers aren’t the only ways to measure a room. Using a tape measure is another relatively fast and simple way to measure a room. If you have a retracting, non-locking tape measure, it’s easier to do with two people.
Lay your tape measure end at the end of the room opposite the doorway and pull it out until you reach the door. Using an open door in one direction cuts the need to adjust for the body of a telescoping tape measure. However, many tape measures have a mark on the bottom, which indicates the tool’s length up to the point where the tape comes out, so you can add that to your total.
Stretch out your tape evenly in each direction, noting the distance in inches. This is more accurate than using feet and rounding the number. Multiply your two numbers, and that is how many square inches the room is. Finally, divide that total by twelve (the number of inches in a foot), and you’ll have square footage.
I recommend a Prexiso Laser Tape Measure from Amazon. With Class 2, maximum laser output, and six modes, it’s no problem to measure any room with this laser tape measure. The li-ion rechargeable battery and magnetic hook make it easy to find and charge whenever you need an accurate measurement. Best of all, you get the LCD and user manual, so there’s no confusion. Have Amazon deliver to your door when you click here.
How To Calculate The Square Footage In a Room
To calculate the square footage of a rectangular or square room, you need to know how long two walls are. Specifically, you need two walls that meet in the same corner. If you measure two parallel walls, those opposite each other, you won’t get the right number, so always use two walls that meet instead.
Once you know how long each wall is in feet, you multiply those two numbers for your total. So a twelve by twelve room will be a hundred and forty-four square feet, while a ten by ten is always a hundred. The easy way to remember this is that the fast way to write, for example, twelve by twelve, is 12×12, which looks exactly like the multiplication problem you need to solve.
Final Thoughts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeMvsUXcYzw
Measuring a room with your feet is not a great plan. If you need a general idea, it’s alright, but you will need a better method for any exact measurement. I strongly recommend a laser measure for the job since they are foolproof and highly accurate.
Having a laser measure on hand to check door frame width is great when moving furniture. However, it would be best if you also had a standard measuring tape to measure the furniture; since a laser measure strictly points A to point B, and it needs a hard surface to stop against to get the distance. A two-in-one is the best tool for most measuring jobs of any kind. It can handle whole rooms or merely measure the inside of a cabinet.
Before you measure a room with your feet, make sure you’ll be able to get the length of your foot later accurately. If the room is x-number of (your) feet and a partial, set your toes against the wall and mark a spot on your foot where it overlaps the last full step you took.