How to use a Bathroom Scale on Carpeted Floor

When you step onto your bathroom scale at home, the pressure of your body weight presses down on the scale, causing it to bend and measure you. Unfortunately, when your scale is on a carpeted floor, the carpet presses up against your weight, making the reading come across as higher than your actual weight. To remedy this, you’ll either need to take your scale somewhere with a flat surface, or you’ll need to create a hard surface to set your scale on.

Set your scale over your piece of plywood with the base of the scale down just as though it were on the floor. Trace around the scale, leaving an inch of plywood on all sides. Measure the base of the scale, if desired, instead of tracing it.

Cut the plywood to match the size and shape of your scale’s base. Sand the edges and corners of the plywood well until you are confident it will not pull on the fibers of your carpet.

Set the plywood in the location where you want to weigh yourself, and keep your scale established. Place your heavy object (large book, bowling ball, potted plant) on the board, and let it sit for 2 to 3 weeks or until the carpet fibers appear to be well mashed down.

Replace the heavy object with your scale once you are confident the pile of the carpet will no longer be pressing against the board. Try not to move or rearrange your scale once it is set up. If you must move the scale, repeat step 3 to flatten the carpet area.

Tips

If this method of working with your existing analogue scale doesn’t sound right for you, you can purchase an affordable digital strain gauge scale which is suitable on all flooring surfaces.

Warnings

Always follow the appropriate safety procedures when working with manual and power saws. Use eye goggles and safety gloves during the wood cutting process.