Measuring for Carpet

Keep pile direction consistent:
Carpet pile is usually slanted, which affects how the carpet looks from different angles as light reflects off the surface. Place seamed pieces so the pile faces the same direction.

At seams, add an extra 3" to each piece when estimating the amount of carpet you'll need. This extra material helps when cutting straight edges for seaming.

At each wall, add 6" for each edge that's along the wall. This surplus will be trimmed away when the carpet is cut to the exact size of the room.

Closet floors are usually covered with a separate piece of carpet that's seamed to the carpet in the main room area.

Stairs:
For stairs, add together the rise and run of each step to estimate the carpet needed for the stairway. Make sure the width of the stairway to determine how many strips you can cut from the factory roll. For a 3 ft.-wide stairway, for example, you can cut three strips from a 12 ft.-wide roll, allowing for waste. Rather than seaming carpet strips together end to end, plan the installation so the ends of the strips fall in the stair crotches). When possible, try to carpet stairs with a single carpet strip