The day I realized I was measuring flooring wrong for 15 years

Kim Ward · 2026-07-11T08:25:03.785919+00:00

I was about to cut a large tile for a bathroom remodel and my helper just casually measured from the door frame instead of the wall like I always did. Turned out I had been adding an extra half inch to every cut thinking I needed room for expansion that was already built into the gap method. Has anyone else had a basic work habit that was totally backwards for way too long?

max_hernandez272mo ago

Isn't the door frame the actual starting point for the finished floor though? Measuring from the wall would assume your walls are perfectly straight, which they never are in my experience.

6

keith_bennett2mo ago

I read somewhere that apparently a lot of old school guys measure from the nearest window or door casing because they figure that's the only truly square spot in a room.

3

logan_mitchell2mo ago

@max_hernandez27 you're right, I always assumed walls were square but they never are.

2