Flooring calculator
Enter the room size and how much one box covers. Use more waste for diagonal or herringbone layouts.
Boxes to buy
10 boxes
- Flooring to buy
- 198 sq ft including waste
- Room area
- 180 sq ft
How it works
Room area is length × width. The waste percentage covers end cuts, boards with defects, and pieces trimmed around doorways. Boxes are the total divided by the box coverage, rounded up because stores sell whole boxes.
The cost estimate uses whole boxes, since that’s what you’ll actually pay for.
Example
With room length 15 ft, room width 12 ft, waste 10%, coverage per box 20 sq ft, the answer is 10 boxes.
Tips before you buy
- Buy all your flooring at once, from the same lot. Color and finish can vary between production runs.
- Most laminate, vinyl and wood flooring needs to sit in the room for a day or more before installation. Check the instructions.
- Keep one spare box after the job for future repairs.
- Measure closets and include them if the flooring will run into them.
Common questions
How much extra flooring should I buy?
10% is the usual figure for straight layouts. Use 15% or more for diagonal or herringbone patterns and rooms with many corners.
How do I measure an L-shaped room for flooring?
Split it into two rectangles, measure each, and add the areas together before entering the total.
How many boxes of flooring for a 15×12 room?
At 20 square feet per box with 10% waste, you need 10 boxes.