Flooring Calculator
Estimate square footage, boxes, and cost for your flooring project
Frequently Asked Questions
10% is a standard default for simple rectangular rooms laid straight. Diagonal or herringbone patterns, rooms with lots of angles, or first-time DIY installs typically need 15-20% to cover cutting waste and mistakes.
Check the square footage covered per box on your specific product's packaging — it varies by brand and plank size, commonly between 18-24 sq ft per box for laminate and vinyl plank. Enter that number here to get a box count.
Include closet floor area in your total square footage since it still needs to be covered, but measure the room as one combined footprint rather than adding separate small rectangles for the most accurate total.
Yes — the square-footage and waste math is the same for tile, though tile projects often warrant a higher waste factor (15%+) to account for cuts around edges and breakage.
How much flooring do you need?
The calculator multiplies room length by width, adds a waste allowance and, if you enter the coverage per box, rounds up to whole boxes:
- Area = length × width
- Area to buy = area × (1 + waste %)
- Boxes = area to buy ÷ coverage per box, rounded up
Example
A 15 × 12 foot room is 180 sq ft. With 10% waste, buy 198 sq ft. If laminate comes in boxes covering 20.5 sq ft, you need 10 boxes. At $3 per sq ft, materials cost about $594.
Waste by flooring type
| Material | Suggested waste |
|---|---|
| Carpet (sold by roll width) | 10% to 15% |
| Laminate and vinyl plank, straight lay | 5% to 10% |
| Hardwood | 10%, more for lower grades with defects |
| Tile | 10% to 15% |
| Diagonal or herringbone layouts | 15% to 20% |
Measuring irregular rooms
- Split L-shaped rooms into rectangles, calculate each and add them together.
- Measure into door openings and closets you plan to cover.
- Round each measurement up to the next inch.
Typical installed costs per sq ft
| Material | Material + installation |
|---|---|
| Carpet | about $3 to $8 |
| Laminate | about $4 to $8 |
| Luxury vinyl plank | about $4 to $10 |
| Engineered or solid hardwood | about $8 to $18 |
| Porcelain tile | about $8 to $20 |
Remember underlayment, transitions, baseboard or quarter-round, and removal of old flooring. Let wood and laminate acclimate in the room for the time the maker recommends, often 48 hours.
For tile floors, use the tile calculator; to estimate boards by length, the linear foot calculator; and for deck boards, the deck material calculator.