How hallway runner calculator Works
The subtraction rule
Runner width = hallway width minus ~12 inches (6" of visible floor per side). The border makes the hallway read wider — the eye sees floor framing the textile — while a wall-to-wall runner reads as carpet and shrinks the space. Length leaves ~1 foot of border at each end, or runs door-to-door in galley layouts.
The seam question
Standard runners sell to ~13 feet; longer hallways need custom sizing (expensive), two runners with a deliberate seam, or a stair-runner treatment continuing the line. Two matched runners with a 1-inch gap read fine; mismatched patterns at a random seam read as an accident. Plan the seam or avoid it.
Sliding, doors, and pads
Hallways are the highest-traffic, highest-slide zone in the house: full-cut runner pad is mandatory, and door swing arcs claim the first two feet of many hallways. Measure with doors open (the arc, not the leaf) and choose low-pile — runners under swinging doors that graze pile will remind you hourly.