A Brief Guide to Measuring Your Countertops

These simple and easy steps will help you measure your countertops.

Tools you will need:

– Paper

– Pencil or Pen

– Tape Measure (inches)

Step 1

Create a rough sketch of your kitchen or bathroom layout. Include and label all appliance locations. Note the shape of the kitchen, the most common shapes are L-shaped, U-shaped or galley style (straight runs). However, there are a few other shape options. Make sure you include the island if there is one and what type of sink you have as well.

Once you have the basic layout, create appropriate sections for measurement by boxing out sections and numbering them.

Ex.

Step 2:

When measuring your countertops, never measure from the backsplash. The backsplash measurement is important but needs to be measured separately. Always start from the wall and measure to the edge of your countertop.

Using the box method, start at the wall and measure to the counter edge. This will give you the width. Make sure you measure to the closest 1/8 inch. Measure the length in the same manner. Make sure to measure each counter section individually and as accurately as possible.

To measure the backsplash, measure corner to corner. For a full backsplash, measure the height from where the counter starts to the underside of the cabinets. For a standard 4″ backsplash, measure this from corner to corner as well.

Islands:

This is a separate measurement. It is measured basically in the same way as the previous measurements; but adjustments must be made for seating area overhang. Also consider if the seating area overhang is connected to the countertop as a second level. In this case it is important to not only measure both levels of the countertop but also the height of the second level from the first countertop.

If the island is curved, find the center of the curve and form a square in your drawing. Then measure length and width in the same way as previously.

Step 3:

Once you have the width and the length of each section of countertop, it is necessary to calculate the square footage. This is a very simple process. Multiply the length by the width for each piece and then add together to get the total inches.

The next step is to convert to square feet (SqFt). Divide the total inches by 144. Each square foot is equal to 12 inches by 12 inches (12×12=144).

To get the most accurate final estimate it is important to make your measurements as precise as possible. Make sure you double check your measurements and calculations.

Remember, your sketch does not have to be perfect and the company will obtain measurements as well. Working together will insure the best outcome at the best price for your remodel.