Flooring & Finishes
Carpet Calculator
Work out square feet, square yards and cost of carpet for a room, including seam waste.
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Flooring & Finishes
Flooring Calculator
Work out how many boxes of laminate, vinyl plank, hardwood or tile to buy. Enter the room size, your layout and the coverage printed on the box.
What is a flooring calculator?
Flooring is sold by the box, and each product covers a different area per box. This calculator finds the floor area, adds the right waste for your installation pattern and rounds up to whole boxes.
How does it work?
Length × width gives the area; the layout adds 5–20% waste; dividing by coverage per box and rounding up gives the boxes to buy. For irregular rooms, split the room into rectangles as described in our room measuring guide. Choosing carpet for bedrooms? Compare with the Carpet Calculator.
What information is needed?
- Room length and width in feet
- Installation pattern
- Square feet per box
- Price per square foot (optional)
How to use the Flooring Calculator
- Measure the room; for L-shapes, run each rectangle separately and add them.
- Pick the layout pattern.
- Enter the coverage per box from the product label.
- Select Calculate.
The formula
In plain terms, here is the calculation the tool runs:
Area = L × W
Total = Area × (1 + Waste)
Boxes = ⌈Total ÷ Coverage per box⌉
- Waste
- 0.05 to 0.20 depending on layout
- ⌈ ⌉
- Round up to a whole box
Worked example
Example
A 15 × 12 ft living room, standard layout, 22.5 sq ft per box at $3.49 per sq ft.
- 15 × 12 = 180 sq ft
- 180 × 1.10 = 198 sq ft
- 198 ÷ 22.5 = 8.8 → 9 boxes
- 9 × 22.5 = 202.5 sq ft × $3.49 = $706.73
Buy 9 boxes for about $707.
Frequently asked questions
Do I include closets?
Yes. Measure closets as separate rectangles and add them to the room total.
How much waste for tile?
10% for straight-set tile, 15% for diagonal and larger formats that produce big offcuts.
Should flooring acclimate?
Most wood and laminate products ask for 48–72 hours in the room before installation. Check the manufacturer’s instructions.
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