Assignment 2 – Carpet Seam Placement and Takeoff
1. Diagram seams, carpet direction, and carpet takoff (how many yards to order)
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Identify carpet width (typically broadloom)
Assess best location for seams on floor plan (avoid seams in high traffic areas)
Identify the direction of the roll and be sure all carpet runs in the same direction when laid
On the floor plan, in red draw dashed lines for all seams
Draw an arrow to indicate the carpet direction (nap)
For the sake of learning about carpet seams, do not specify carpet tiles, although carpet tiles are an
excellent alternative in commercial applications and are becoming more common in residential
applications.
To calculate the sq yards needed:
1. Measure the length in feet of the room the carpet is to cover. The length will always run
perpendicular to the carpet width.
Carpet length
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Carpet width
Calculate the footage multiplying the length of the room by the width of the carpet (i.e. 12w
carpet x10 f long room = 120 s.f.
Follow this exercise for every room, but be sure the carpet always runs in the same direction
in each room.
Add all the lengths together (i.e. 10 foot long bedroom, 15 foot long master bedroom, 25 foot
long family room will total 50 linear feet x 12 foot wide carpet roll = 600 s.f. of carpet needed.
Rooms will typically be wider than 12 feet so you will need to piece carpet together and
place seams in low traffic areas. (I.e. a room is 14 feet wide x 10 feet long and the carpet
width is 12 feet wide. That means you need one piece that is 10 feet long plus you need to
cut 2 feet of width from a seperate10 foot long piece. You will have a waste of 10 feet x 10
feet of left over carpet; however, you can use the left over carpet for other situations like this
example to minimize waste.
Always draw diagrams of pieces so you know how many pieces will be needed.
See examples below
Divide the total square footage by 9 to establish yardage.
Each linear yard of broadloom carpet provides 4 s.y of carpet because the carpet is 12 feet
wide.
You should know how to calculate carpet for each job to make sure you are not being
overcharged for carpet from the vendor. Installers charge by the installed yard, so it’s not
uncommon for an installer to overestimate the yardage required for the job.
Here are two examples: One residential and one
commercial:
http://www.floorcoveringsoft.com/flooring_design/
http://www.floorcoveringsoft.com/flooring_design/