How to calculate flooring
- Measure each room at its widest points, and include closets and doorways the floor will run into.
- Multiply length × width for each area and add them up.
- Add extra for cuts. Each row ends with a cut piece, and offcuts from one row only sometimes start the next.
- Divide by the coverage per box and round up. You cannot buy part of a box.
Worked example: a 14 × 12 ft living room in laminate
The floor is 168 sq ft. With 10% extra you need 184.8 sq ft. At 20 sq ft per box that is 9.24 boxes, so buy 10.
How much extra flooring to buy
| Flooring | Typical extra |
|---|---|
| Laminate or vinyl plank, straight lay | 10% |
| Sheet vinyl or carpet tile | 5–10% |
| Solid or engineered hardwood | 10–15%, as boards vary and some are rejected for defects |
| Diagonal or herringbone patterns | 15–20% |
Rooms with many corners, angled walls or closets need extra at the high end of these ranges.
Before you install
- Acclimate the boards. Wood and many laminates should sit in the room for a day or more so they adjust to its temperature and humidity. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Check the lot numbers so color and finish match across boxes.
- Leave an expansion gap at the walls, usually hidden by baseboard or quarter-round.
- Check whether you need underlayment. Some planks have it attached; others need a separate layer, plus a moisture barrier over concrete.