how to measure countertops
To help you to get an idea about your countertop cost here are some tips to measure your countertop. You know what they say about measuring twice! When measuring for your new kitchen countertops, definitely start with a tape measure. You’ll also need a pen, some paper with a “to-scale” drawing and a calculator. The more careful and accurate your measurements are during the estimation process, the fewer surprises there will be when you get to finalizing your countertops project.
Remember that these instructions are just for preliminary estimation purposes. There’s still more measuring work to do for the actual cutting and installation (this part is the responsibility of the granite fabricator who does your project), as you’ll see below. First, assemble your “tools” for taking the measurements:
- Tape measure
- Pen or pencil
- Paper (to-scale notebook recommended)
- Calculator
Then follow these steps to take accurate measurements of the countertop space:
- Draw a to-scale diagram of your countertop space on the paper (preferably graphing paper). In the drawing, don’t forget to include the backsplash areas as well. If graph paper is not handy, you can use any plain paper.
- On your drawing, make sure to include the spaces for your sink, cooktop, bar sink etc. Some home owners think that sink or cooktop areas need to be excluded from the measurement. But it is not true measurement because the sink or cook top cutouts are done in the entire countertop.
Use your tape measure to measure the countertop length from wall to wall (in inches), not just from one edge of your current countertop to the other. - Write down the length in the appropriate space on your scale drawing or piece paper whichever case may be.
- Measure this twice, just to make sure it’s accurate!
- Measure the depth of the countertops from the wall, but keep in mind, the standard countertop depth is usually 25.5 inches for a granite countertop; this is the common overhang from standard 24-inch cabinets.
- For custom and unusually-shaped countertops, Arch City Granite has some example diagrams you can view for guidance on correctly recording all of your measurements. These are all examples of countertops we have installed here in the St. Louis, MO area. These should help you design the drawing and take the measurements correctly.
- Don’t forget to measure the backsplash height! If you currently have a 3-inch backsplash, but want to bump that up to 4 inches, it will obviously affect your estimate.
After you’ve taken all the measurements and written them down, you’ll want to make some quick calculations on your calculator to determine your closely estimated square footage (from your inches).
Let’s say that you’ve measured the length of your countertop (twice!) at 112 inches. Multiply that by the depth of the standard countertop (25.5 inches):
112 x 25.5 = 2,856 (inches)
To get the square footage, divide 2,856 by 144:
2,856 ÷ 144 = 19.833 square feet
As for the backsplash, don’t forget to calculate that as well. Use the following calculation to get your estimate:
Height (4 inches, for example) x length (112 inches) = 448 inches
448 ÷ 144 = 3.11 square feet
Professional Measuring for the Final Countertop Cut
After taking all of your measurements down and doing the preliminary calculations, contact our office at 757-224-0450 or visit our showroom located at 401 Industry Dr, Hampton to have a consultation. Once you receive your preliminary quote and you can schedule an appointment for on-site template.