How to Measure For Hardwood Flooring [3 Simple Steps]

It’s understandable that when the time comes to replace your current floor covering with new hardwood floors, you’ll want to get in touch with someone from a flooring company as soon as possible.

This is understandable. You can, however, begin working on your flooring project before even setting foot in a flooring showroom.

One of the first stages is to take measurements of the entire area where you intend to install the system.

The flooring retailer will be able to provide you with an accurate estimate of how much your project will cost once you have selected the appropriate flooring.

The inventory will also be checked to ensure that there is an adequate supply of the product on hand.

See Also:

How to Remove Vinyl Flooring

How Much Laminate Flooring Do I Need

How Long Does it Take To Install Laminate Flooring

Overview of the article:

Because most flooring is sold by square foot, determining the size of your floor space is rather simple.

To figure out how many square feet you’ll need, divide the length of the space by the width of the room.

Consider the following example: if you have a room that is 10′ long by 10′ wide, you would multiply those two measurements together.

The whole amount of square footage is equal to 100 square meters.

It is now advised that when installing wood flooring, a 5 percent waste factor be included to account for wastage from cutting and fitting.

As part of this waste factor, we provide boards that you may not want to utilize due to a significant character or color variations.

Using the previous example, 5 percent of your order would equal 5 square feet, bringing the total amount of space required to 105 square feet.

When measuring for more than one room, take individual measurements of each room and then combine the total square footage of all the rooms together.

Once you’ve calculated the total square footage of all rooms, you’ll need to figure in the 5 percent waste factor.

Fundamental Requirements

When it comes to measuring square footage, the simplest approach to utilize is squares and rectangles on the floor plan to measure.

Measuring from one baseboard to the next is a good way to get a feel for the space.

Alternatively, if there is no foundation in situ, the drywall is installed.

In the living room and dining room in the sample below, we have a few uneven regions that require attention.

Measure from each longest point in both directions starting at the shortest point.

Don’t bother trying to be precise!

When measuring a room, always round up to the nearest whole number, such as 11′ 6″ x 13′ 10″ for a 12′ x 14′ measurement.

Laminate flooring measurements are made in three simple steps.

Calculating how much laminate flooring you’ll need is very straightforward, but it’s important to take accurate measurements.

Simply follow these fundamental procedures.

Step 1:

Calculate the square footage of each room in which you wish to install laminate-wood floors and divide that figure by two.

To do so, start by measuring the length and width of the room with a tape measure.

Afterward, divide the length by the width to determine the square footage.

Consider this: If the room is 12 feet wide and 12 feet long, you will require flooring to cover a total area of 144 square feet (12×12=144).

Step 2:

Increase the square footage by 10% to provide room for cuts and waste during construction.

The percentage increase is 20% if you’re choosing a tile pattern. This is critical because the cuts in the flooring must be spaced in order to be effective.

In addition, you’ll want some extra bits in case you need to repair or replace a board later on.

So the total square footage is 158 square feet, which is 144 feet + 10%, or 14 feet.

Step 3:

Consult with a shop to ensure that your order is accurate.

While your measurements will almost definitely provide a decent general estimate when you calculate your square-foot requirements by the retailer’s pricing per square foot, in the end, small details can make a significant impact in the final calculation.

For example, a transition piece will be necessary for installations in rooms that are longer than 40 feet in length or wider than 25 feet in width.

How to Calculate the Size of a Room for Hardwood Flooring

When you’ve decided on hardwood flooring for your home, the following step is to figure out how much you’ll need to buy.

While this might be quite simple when working with regularly sized spaces, it can be slightly more difficult when working with irregularly shaped ones.

It takes only a few steps to measure a room for hardwood flooring, and following this simple method will have you ready to purchase and install your new flooring in no time.

Plan, measure and purchase your materials

In your decision-making process, the amount of hardwood you’ll require for your home’s floors may play a big influence.

After all, certain types are more expensive than others, so knowing how much money you’ll need ahead of time may influence your decision.

Here’s a breakdown of the steps involved in measuring your home flooring requirements.

Measure the length of each side of the rectangle that is regularly shaped in the room.

When measuring rooms with regular shapes, there are only two quantities to consider: the length of the longest wall (length) and the length of the shortest wall (length of the shorter wall) (width).

Make a note of these two numbers since the square footage of the room will be determined by them.

Make the same adjustments for irregularly shaped rooms.

Rectangles are still present in irregularly shaped spaces, but they are just in greater abundance.

Turn any cutouts, passageways, closets, entrances, or other irregular components in your room into their own rectangles if they do not comply with a standard square or rectangular room shape — such as those that are not square or rectangular in shape.

In the area where the irregular element matches the regular room, draw a straight line across it, and then write down the numbers for the cutouts, hallways, and juts that are present.

In order to ensure that you have enough materials, the square footage of such irregular items can be added to the total square footage of the remainder of your room.

Add up all of your square footage.

The square footage of each room will be used to select the flooring for that space, which means you’ll need to take the square of each regular and irregular piece and combine the totals together.

This will help you decide how much hardwood you will need for each room that will be receiving a new floor. For your convenience, I’ve included the formula:

Square Feet are calculated by multiplying the width of the room by the length of the room.

Always purchase more than you anticipate needing.

Anyone who has ever worked on a construction or home remodeling project will tell you that it is always better to have more supplies than you will need rather than not enough materials.

Pieces will need to be trimmed in order to achieve the staggered designs you desire in your hardwoods, which means that certain boards will need to be greater in length than others.

Whether it is done intentionally or unintentionally, the cutting process generates trash.

As a result, ordering the necessary quantity and getting it just right can result in you having to make a fast trip to a flooring store to pick up the additional products.

Ordering around 5 to 10% more merchandise than you need for your project is a decent rule of thumb to follow simply to be on the safe side.

How to Take Measurements for Refinishing Hardwood Floors

All you’ll need is a measuring tape and a calculator to get started.

The size of the floors will be determined by multiplying the width and depth of the room.

If your room is not a perfect rectangle, consider splitting it down into rectangular portions and adding the results together to get the total area of the floors.

If you are unsure about some locations, take a picture and submit it to us so that we can assist you.

Don’t worry, the picture doesn’t have to be accurate; if there is a discrepancy, we will verify and modify the price before we begin the job for you.

It is important to measure the entire kitchen, including the cabinets and islands (if there is one), because kitchen cabinets and islands are extremely difficult to work around and demand extra attention when measuring.

Here is an example of a formula for calculating surface area.

180 square feet is equal to 12 inches wide by 15 inches deep.

Our Final Thoughts

I hope you learned how to measure your hardwood flooring either for rooms, kitchens and living rooms.

Frequently Ask Questions