The best place to start any tile, carpet, vinyl, or wood flooring project is by measuring the area involved and getting an accurate square footage.  The layout to the left shows a very basic kitchen with cabinets along the top and right, a divider wall bottom center, and a diagonal cabinet on the left bottom.  The best way to measure any area is to break the area up into squares or rectangles and measure these areas for length and width.  By doing it this way, you will get the most accurate measurement of net square footage possible.  This technique is very accurate in measuring a bedroom, or an entire house.  We also use this process for walls, counter tops, diagonal and round protrusions. Make sure you list the measurements for each section and always use a metal tape measure.  Cloth tape measures are not accurate for this type of measuring. 

You do not need to draw lines as shown in the example to the left.  Measure each section by the length and width and make a column of measurements.
EXAMPLE:    2ft x 3ft
                 10ft x 11ft
                 10ft x 10.6ft
                  2ft  x 2ft
                   2ft x 3 ft
This represents every measurement except the diagonal cabinet which we will deal with next.

You do not need to figure the area of a triangle, circle, or any other shape to get the measurements you need.  In the example to the left you create a square and get the width x width and divide this by 2.  This remainder will be subtracted from the 10x11 measurement you made.
EXAMPLE:    2ft x 3ft         =
                 10ft x 11ft       = 110 sq. ft.  -  half the area of the diagonal area.
                 10ft x 10.6ft    =
                  2ft  x 2ft         =
                   2ft x 3 ft        =
By multiplying each row and adding them up, you will have the net square footage you will need.  Now that you have the net square footage, you multiply that by the percentage of extra material needed to get the total footage you need the the project.  We recommend that for tile you add 7% if it is being laid straight, 10% if it is on the diagonal.  For Laminate, Engineered wood, Wood, we recommend adding 10%.   If you have curved protrusions such as a round fireplace, tub, etc., we suggest you use the same method as a diagonal protrusion.

Even when you have something unusual to measure, breaking it down the same way works just fine.  By getting the width at the greatest point, as seen in the bottom of the red box to the left, and then the height, at the top of the red box, you can multiply and get an accurate net square footage.  Any detail liners, borders, accents, can be calculated by measuring the length they span.  Adding the same amount of overage as described previously will give you the correct amount for this part of the project.

The bottom part of the fireplace, the hearth, has width, depth, and length measurements.  Take the maximum width measurement and multiply it times the maximum depth of the hearth top.  Next, take the same maximum width and multiply it by the maximum height of the hearth face.  Add these two numbers together and you have your net square footage.  Adding the same amount of overage as described previously will give you the correct amount for this part of the project.

Whenever you are dealing with materials that come in rolls, carpet, vinyl, you have to take your measurements based on the set width that the material comes in.  To make this clearer, think about a roll of carpet that comes in set widths of 12 and 15 ft, and vinyl that comes in set widths of 6 and 12 ft.  If you are measuring for a single room that does not exceed these standard width sizes in either the length or width, you can take the longest measurement times the material width.  Example:  If your room is 11 ft wide and 16 ft long, you would need a piece of material 12ft x 16ft to do the room.  Most carpet and vinyl is figured by the square yard.  Multiplying the width times length and dividing by 9 will give you the square yardage.  Example:
                                                                      12ft x 16ft = 192 sq ft / 9 = 21.33 sq yd.
Because rolled materials have set widths, you will have to accept the wasted material.  This is a simple process for areas that do not exceed the width standard, however, in situations where rooms connect, or whole houses, it becomes more complex.

This area is divided into four separate areas that all connect together.  If the rolled material connects in any areas, you must run the material in the same direction in order to do proper seams, match patterns, and in the case of carpet, have the yarn running in the same direction.  The way to determine the proper direction to run the material is a simple matter of putting in the least amount of seams and having the least amount of waste.  The measurements for this area are:  Area #1 11ft x 21ft, Area #2 4ft x 17ft, Area #3 4ft x 18ft, Area #4 13ft x 18ft.  Always take measurements to the center of the door jambs.  Because Area #1 and #4 are the largest areas, the direction to run the material should be based on these areas, as they will have the longest seems.  The goal is to drop any rooms eliminating seams, so Area #4 will have a seam in any case, and it is best to drop the material the length of Area #1 and have the remaining areas follow this direction.

The arrow in Area #1 indicates the direction all the material will run and the segmented lines indicate where the seams will be.  To eliminate the seam in the doorway between Area #3 and Area #4, the material will be measured the length of both areas and dropped through the doorway into Area #3.  Take the main room measurements first as they will be based on the entire 12 foot width of the material. 
Area #1:          12 x 21
Area #3 & #4:  12 x 17 this is the combined length of the two areas.
Because of the direction the material is running, Area #2 will require a piece that is
4 ft wide by 17 ft long.  The fill piece for Area #4 and the fill piece between Area#2 and Area #3 will require a 6ft wide by 17 ft long piece.  If you add these two widths together you will need a piece 10 ft wide by 17ft long.  This means you will need a 12 ft x 17 ft piece and will have 2 ft x 17 ft left over.  Now just add these three measurements together: 12 x 21 + 12 x 17 + 12 x 17 = 12 x 55.  Multiply 12 x 55 = 660 sq ft.  Divide by 9 - 660 / 9 = 73.33 square yards.