Flooring Calculator

About the Flooring Calculator

Calculates the flooring area required for a room and the number of boxes to buy, including a waste allowance for cuts.

How to use this calculator

1. Enter the room length and width in the same unit, such as feet or meters.
2. Choose the flooring coverage area for one box or roll if the tool asks for it.
3. Add a waste percentage, often around \(5\%\) to \(15\%\), depending on the room shape and layout.
4. Check the result, which tells you the total flooring needed and, if relevant, how many boxes or rolls to buy.

The formula explained

First, find the room area with \(A = l \times w\). Then add waste by using \(A_{total} = A \times \left(1 + \frac{p}{100}\right)\), where \(p\) is the waste percentage.

• A = room area
• l = room length
• w = room width
• p = waste percentage
• \(A_{total}\) = total flooring area needed after waste is added

Step by step method

1. Measure the room length \(l\) and width \(w\).
2. Multiply to get the area, \(A = l \times w\).
3. Multiply by \(1 + \frac{p}{100}\) to include waste.
4. If needed, divide by the coverage per box or roll and round up to the next whole package.

Worked example

Problem. A room is \(12\) feet long and \(10\) feet wide. You want to add \(10\%\) waste. How much flooring should you buy?

1. Find the room area: \(A = 12 \times 10 = 120\) square feet.
2. Add \(10\%\) waste: \(A_{total} = 120 \times 1.10 = 132\) square feet.
3. So you need \(132\) square feet of flooring.

Tips and common mistakes

• Always use the same unit for both measurements, because mixed units give a wrong area.
• Add waste before converting to boxes or rolls, then round up so you do not run short.

Frequently asked questions