Jane -Let's start with something simple. Draw a square on a piece of paper and label each side 12 inches. What is the area of that square? If you said 144 square inches (12 x 12), you would be correct!But guess what? Each side of that square is also exactly 1 ft since 12 in = 1 ft, agree? So, the area of your square is also equal to 1 sq. ft.So, what does this all have to do with your problem? Simple .... 144 sq. in = 1 sq. ft.Now you have the conversion of square feet to square inches by multiplying the number of square feet by 144.Hope that helps