Tools · Skill 04 of 06
Measure Accurately
Nearly every project fails at the measuring stage. Reading a tape correctly, marking clearly and double-checking will save you material, money and a lot of frustration.
Companion
Measure twice, cut once. It's a cliché because it's expensive to ignore.
- Tape measure
- Standard
- A 16–25 foot retractable tape with both inches and centimetres.
- Low cost
- A discount-store 12 foot tape covers most household jobs.
- Already have
- A sewing tape, a piece of string you mark, or a sheet of paper of known size.
- Something to mark with
- Standard
- A carpenter's pencil or a fine marker.
- Low cost
- Any pencil.
- Already have
- A strip of masking tape you mark instead of the surface itself.
- 01Understand the loose hookThe metal hook on a tape wobbles on purpose — it slides exactly the thickness of the metal so it reads correctly whether you hook it over an edge or push it against a wall. It isn't broken.
- 02Read the marksBetween each inch, the longest line is a half, then quarters, then eighths, then sixteenths. Count the small marks rather than guessing; write it as a fraction, like 12 and 3/8.
- 03Keep the tape flat and straightA sagging or angled tape always reads long. Press it against the surface and keep it square to the edge you're measuring from.
- 04Mark with a V, not a lineA dash is vague. A small V with its point exactly at the measurement tells you precisely where to cut or drill when you come back to it.
- 05Measure the space, not the objectFor furniture, shelves and appliances, measure the opening in three places — top, middle, bottom. Walls and floors are rarely as square as they look.
- 06Check it a second timeRe-measure before you cut, drill or buy. If the two readings disagree, measure a third time and find out why.
Worth Knowing
- Write measurements down straight away. You will not remember them across the store.
- Note whether you measured in inches or centimetres — mixing the two is the most common mistake there is.