Flooring Calculator

1. Measure the room. Measure length and width in feet. For L-shaped or irregular rooms, break the space into rectangles, calculate each separately, and add them together before entering the total. Always measure to the outermost walls, not to cabinets or islands.
2. Set the waste factor. The default 10% covers normal cuts and damaged pieces. Increase to 15% for diagonal layouts and 20% for herringbone or chevron patterns. Never go below 10%, even for simple rooms, since flooring is sold in full boxes and slight measurement errors add up.
3. Enter your box coverage. Check the flooring package for sq ft per box. Laminate boxes commonly contain 15 to 22 sq ft. Hardwood planks may cover 18 to 25 sq ft per box. Enter the exact number from your chosen product.
4. Enter price per sq ft for cost. This field is optional. If filled in, the calculator shows the total material cost based on the area with waste. It does not include underlayment, adhesive, or installation labor.

Example: a 16 ft × 12 ft living room is 192 sq ft. With 10% waste, you need 211.2 sq ft of flooring. At 20 sq ft per box, that is 11 boxes. At $3.50 per sq ft, material cost is $739.20 before tax.

Flooring is always purchased by the box, never in partial boxes. The waste factor ensures you have enough material to complete the job without a second trip to the store, where dye lots may not match.

For rooms with closets, include the closet floor area in your measurement. For rooms with a fireplace hearth, subtract the hearth area. Stair nosing and transitions are sold separately and are not included in the sq ft calculation.