Flooring calculator
How much flooring to buy for a room, with waste allowed for.
Your room
Flooring
Buy 22 m² of laminate.
That's 10 boxes at 2.2 m² a box. Your floor is 20 m², plus 10% for cuts and offcuts.
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The short answer
To work out how much flooring to buy, multiply the room's length by its width to get the floor area, then add a waste allowance for the pieces you cut at the walls and the offcuts you can't use. Divide the total by the coverage on one box and round up: that's how many boxes to buy.
The usual rule of thumb is 10% extra for laminate, wood, vinyl and tiles laid straight, and more for carpet, which is cut from a roll. Add more (15% or so) for tiles or planks laid on the diagonal or in a herringbone pattern, and for rooms with a lot of corners. The calculator starts from those allowances; change them under More options if your fitter or the product says otherwise.
How to use it
- 1
Measure the room
Measure the length and width of the floor between the walls. For a room that isn't a rectangle, measure the rectangle around it: the extra counts as waste.
- 2
Pick the flooring
Choose laminate, wood planks, tiles, vinyl or carpet. The room shows the floor, and the waste allowance follows the material.
- 3
Read what to buy
The answer is the area to buy with waste included, and how many boxes that is. Under More options, set your own waste allowance and the coverage printed on the box.
Questions
How much extra flooring should I buy for waste?
About 10% for laminate, wood, vinyl and tiles laid in straight rows, which covers the cuts at the walls and a damaged board or two. Allow around 15% for diagonal or herringbone patterns, small rooms with many corners, and carpet. These are rules of thumb: if the product's instructions or your fitter name a number, use theirs.
How do I work out how many boxes of flooring I need?
Divide the area to buy (floor area plus waste) by the coverage printed on one box, and round up to a whole box. For a 20 m² floor with 10% waste and boxes of 2.2 m², that's 22 m² ÷ 2.2 = 10 boxes. In feet, a 15 × 12 ft room is 180 sq ft, 198 sq ft with waste, and 10 boxes of 20 sq ft.
How do I convert square metres to square feet?
Multiply square metres by 10.764 to get square feet, or divide square feet by 10.764 to get square metres. The Metric | ft / in switch above converts the room, the answer and the box coverage.
Should I measure into doorways and alcoves?
Yes. The flooring usually runs under the door to a threshold strip, and alcoves and bay windows need covering too. Measure the largest rectangle that contains the whole floor; the extra over the true area is part of your waste.
Should I keep spare boxes?
It's worth keeping one. Colours change between production batches, so a box from the same batch makes a future repair match. Buy all the boxes at once, and check the batch numbers match.
Can I see the flooring in my own floor plan?
Yes. Upload your floor plan and UploadFloorplan turns it into a 3D home with every room. Switch the floor between oak, walnut, concrete, tile and carpet, and see it with your furniture. A free account is enough.
Now try it in your real room
Upload your floor plan and UploadFloorplan turns it into a 3D room with its walls, doors and windows. Drag the furniture in and see what fits where.
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