Guide · For the trade
Sectional rug size: how to size and place a rug under an L, a chaise or a U
The sectional rug size is the sectional's two outside dimensions plus 12 to 18 inches on each open side, which puts most L-shaped sectionals on a 9x12 or a 10x14 and most U-shaped ones on a 12x15 or a custom size. The rug runs under every leg of the sectional, the chaise end sits fully on it with a foot to spare, and the open sides show 18 to 24 inches of rug beyond the seat. An 8x10 under a sectional works only with the front legs on, and only when the chaise is under 90 inches long.
This guide is for the designer or the junior laying out a living room with a sectional on the plan, where the sofa-and-two-chairs rules stop applying. It covers the sectional dimensions, the three placements, a size table by sectional type, the chaise and the U, the open-plan case, and the questions clients ask. The general rules are in the living room rug size guide; this page is the sectional in detail.
The sectional dimensions you are working around
Measure the sectional as a rectangle: the long run from arm to far end, and the short run from the sofa back to the end of the chaise or return. A two-piece L with a chaise is typically 100 to 120 inches long and 60 to 70 inches deep; a three-piece L with a full return is 110 to 130 by 90 to 110; a U-shaped sectional is 120 to 150 inches wide by 100 to 120 deep. The depth is what breaks the standard sizes: a 9x12 is 108 by 144 inches, and a 65 inch deep chaise sectional on it leaves 43 inches of rug on the open side, which is right; a 100 inch deep three-piece L leaves 8 inches, which is wrong, and needs the 10 foot side of a 10x14 running the depth.
The three placements
All legs on. Every foot of the sectional, including the chaise and any return, sits on the rug with 12 to 18 inches of rug beyond the back and the arms and 18 to 24 inches on the open sides. This is the layout for a sectional, because its outside corner and its chaise end otherwise land on a rug edge, and it is what the size table assumes.
Front legs on, chaise on. The back legs of the sofa run sit on the floor, the front legs and the whole chaise sit on the rug. It works when the sectional is pushed to a wall and the room is small, and it puts a 100 by 65 inch chaise sectional on an 8x10. The chaise must be fully on; a chaise half on a rug is the most common sectional mistake in a photograph.
Floating. The rug sits inside the sectional's footprint with no legs on it. It is the layout clients arrive with and the one to talk them out of: it makes a 10 foot sectional look like it is standing around a bath mat. Keep it only for a room so small that a 5x8 is the largest rug that fits.
Sectional rug size chart
| Sectional | Typical footprint | All legs on | Front legs and chaise on | Room it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-piece L with chaise | 100 to 120 in by 60 to 70 in | 9x12, long side along the sofa | 8x10 | 13 by 15 ft to 15 by 18 ft |
| Three-piece L with return | 110 to 130 in by 90 to 110 in | 10x14, long side along the sofa | 9x12 | 15 by 18 ft and up |
| U-shaped | 120 to 150 in by 100 to 120 in | 12x15, or custom to the footprint plus 18 in | 10x14 | Great rooms, 18 by 20 ft and up |
| Small apartment L | 84 to 96 in by 60 in | 8x10 | 6x9 | Under 12 by 14 ft |
Then check the room: the rug should stop 18 inches from the walls, 12 inches in a small room. Where the sectional and the room disagree, the room wins and the layout drops to front-legs-and-chaise-on.
The chaise, the U and the custom size
A sectional with a chaise is sized by the chaise: measure its length from the sofa back, add 12 inches, and that is the minimum rug dimension in that direction. A U-shaped sectional is almost always a custom-size job, because its 10 to 12 foot depth exhausts the standard sizes before the open side gets any rug. The answer is a bound rug cut from broadloom to the footprint plus 18 inches on the open side and 12 inches at the back, often 12 by 16 or 13 by 17 feet, in 3 to 5 weeks; the oversize collection is where we start, and the custom size rugs guide walks through the order. An L-shaped rug seamed to follow an L-shaped sectional is possible and rarely worth it; a rectangle that covers the whole L reads better.
Sectionals in open plans
In an open plan the rug does the job of the missing wall: run it 12 to 18 inches beyond the sofa back so the sectional sits inside the zone, and give the open sides 24 inches. That is a 10x14 at minimum and a 12x15 or a custom size for most great rooms; the large living room rugs guide covers the oversize options.
What to specify with the rug
Pad: 1/4 inch felt-and-rubber on wood or tile, a rug-on-carpet pad over wall-to-wall, cut 1 inch inside the edge. Pile height under 3/4 inch so the coffee table does not rock, and a construction that takes legs without permanent dents: a wool loop, a flatweave, a hand-knotted or a dense bound broadloom. A high-pile or a viscose under a sectional shows every leg within a month. Ask the client for the sectional's specification sheet; its outside dimensions are more reliable than a tape on a plan.
Questions designers ask
What is the 70 percent rule for a rug under a sectional?
The rug should cover about 70 percent of the floor the seating group occupies, with floor showing around it. Under a sectional it means all legs on with 18 to 24 inches of rug on the open sides; a rug covering only the area inside the L fails it.
Where should a 9x12 rug be placed under a sectional?
Twelve foot side along the sofa, 9 foot side along the chaise, all legs on, with the chaise end about 3 feet inside the rug and 12 to 18 inches of rug behind the sofa when it floats. If the sectional is deeper than 90 inches, the 9x12 goes under the front legs and the chaise only.
What is the two-thirds rule for a couch, and does it apply to a sectional?
For a sofa, the rug should be at least two thirds of the sofa's length, with the sofa centered on it; it keeps a 5x8 from going under a 9 foot sofa. For a sectional it is superseded by the all-legs-on layout, because a rug two thirds the length of a 120 inch sectional cannot carry the chaise.
How is a rug measured for a sectional sofa?
Measure the sectional's outside rectangle, add 12 inches at the back and the arm and 18 to 24 inches on each open side, then round up to the nearest standard size or send the number for a custom cut. Check the result against the room with 18 inches of floor at the walls.
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