Flooring Calculator
Square footage and boxes of laminate, vinyl plank or hardwood, with waste and total cost.
Flooring is the one material where under-ordering is genuinely painful. Plank flooring is sold in runs from a single production batch, and a re-order six weeks later can arrive with a visible colour shift that no amount of feathering will hide.
Measure the longest point of each dimension, not the average — rooms are rarely square, and the extra strip along one wall still has to be covered. For L-shaped rooms, split the space into rectangles, run each one, and add the box totals.
How this calculator works
Every field is editable and the result updates as you type — nothing is submitted anywhere, all the maths runs in your browser. That matters for a number you are about to spend money on: you can see exactly which input moved the answer, and by how much.
What this calculation assumes
Assumes a single rectangular room and a box coverage taken from the carton label. Underlayment, transition strips, stair nosing and baseboard are not included in either the quantity or the cost.
Treat the result as an order-of-magnitude check rather than a final quantity. Product packaging changes, regional labour rates vary by a factor of two, and no calculator has seen your actual site.
Frequently asked questions
How much waste should I allow for flooring?
10% for a straight lay in a simple room. 15% for diagonal installation, herringbone, or rooms with lots of doorways, angles and closets. Anything above 15% usually means the layout plan needs revisiting, not more material.
Should I include closets?
Only if you plan to floor them. Many installers stop at the closet threshold and leave the closet floor bare, which saves material but looks unfinished if the door is ever open. Measure the closet separately and add it on.
Does the calculator include underlayment?
No. Underlayment is ordered by the same square footage as the floor itself, usually in 100 sq ft rolls, and is not counted in the box totals above. Add it as a separate line when you price the job.
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