Flooring Calculator
Estimate flooring for a room: boxes of plank flooring with waste for your layout, or square yards of carpet cut from a 12 or 15 ft roll.
How it's calculated
Plank flooring is sold by the box. The calculator adds waste for the material (about 8–10%) and the layout (more for diagonal and herringbone), then divides by the square feet per box.
Carpet comes off a roll in full widths, so the calculator figures how many widths (drops) cover the room and adds 3" of trim at each end. That is why carpet orders are larger than the room's area.
Worked example
A 16 × 14 ft room in LVP laid straight: 224 sq ft × 1.10 = 246 sq ft, or 11 boxes at 23.6 sq ft each. The same room in carpet needs two 12 ft drops, 16.5 ft long: 44 sq yd.
Field notes
- Acclimate wood and laminate in the room for the time the maker specifies.
- Undercut door casings so flooring slides under instead of scribing around them.
- Check the subfloor for flatness: most floating floors allow about 3/16" in 10 ft.
- Mix planks from several boxes as you go to spread color and grain.
Common questions
- How much extra flooring should I buy?
- 8–10% for straight layouts, 15% for diagonal, and up to 20% for herringbone.
- How do I convert square feet to square yards for carpet?
- Divide by 9. But carpet comes in fixed roll widths, so order by the drops needed, not just the area.
- Do I need underlayment for vinyl plank?
- Not if the plank has an attached pad. Otherwise use the underlayment the maker approves.