How Much Laminate Flooring Do I Need [The Truth]

Laying laminate flooring by yourself is a surprisingly simple operation, which is one of the reasons why this flooring solution is so widely used.

All that is required for a do-it-yourself laminate flooring installation is the right tools and of course, a few packages of laminate flooring.

The question then becomes, how much laminate flooring is the appropriate amount?

What is the formula for calculating square meters?

Continue reading to learn how to use our laminate flooring calculator.

Other Related Articles:

Common Mistakes When Laying Laminate Flooring

How Long Does Laminate Flooring Last

How to Clean Laminate Flooring

Overview of the article

Installing a new floor in your home can be a difficult task – unless you use our flooring calculator to help you out!

Whatever your situation, whether you’re building your dream home and selecting floor finishes or simply replacing old and worn-out panels in an apartment, you’ll have to deal with the same issues: measuring the space and estimating the cost of the flooring installation.

And, while the calculations are straightforward, we understand that arithmetic is the last thing you want to be doing while you’re renovating your home.

For your convenience, we’ve searched this square foot calculator for the flooring to take the arithmetic out of the equation.

With the help of this tool, you can rapidly estimate the cost of flooring and determine how much hardwood, vinyl, or laminate flooring you will require for your project.

With our assistance, any building project will be a piece of cake to complete!

What size of flooring do I require?

Before you head out to your local Home Depot to purchase your flooring, you’ll want to make an educated guess as to how much material you’ll actually need.

It is possible to accomplish this in the following ways:

1. Taking Measurement

Take measurements of the room in which you intend to put the floor.

We recommend that you measure the length and breadth of the item and round it up to the next inch.

Even if the walls are not completely straight, make sure to always consider the broadest point of the room while planning your layout.

2. Calculating

To calculate the square footage of a room, multiply the width by the length of the room.

If your room is not rectangular, but rather has a more irregular shape, you might want to try using our trapezoid calculator to figure out how big it is.

3. Size Determined

Once you’ve determined the size of the space, you’re ready to start.

This will give you an idea of how much flooring material you’ll need to purchase.

A floor covering calculator, such as the GCF calculator, can be useful if you want to cover the entire floor with square pieces and are curious about the largest potential size of a single tile.

Consider how much additional material you’ll need to purchase to account for waste during the installation process if you’re willing to put in a little more effort into the calculations (for example to ensure that the patterns match on all pieces of flooring).

To do this, we recommend adding 5-10 percent of the entire area to the design plan.

Another Technique in Estimating Laminating Flooring

In three easy steps, learn how to measure for laminate flooring.

It’s not difficult to figure out how much laminate flooring you’ll need, but it’s important to take accurate measurements.

Simply follow these simple instructions.

Step 1:

Calculate the square footage of each room where laminate-wood flooring will be installed.

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

The square footage is calculated by multiplying the length by the width.

For example, if the room is 12 feet wide and 12 feet long, you’ll require 144 square feet of flooring (1212=144).

Step 2:

Increase the square footage by 10% to account for cuts and waste.

(Add 20% if you’re going with a tile pattern.)

This is necessary because the flooring cuts must be staggered.

You’ll also require extra components in case you need to repair or replace them aboard.

So, for 158 square feet, multiply 144 feet by 10%, or 14 feet.

Step 3:

Consult a shop to ensure that your order is correct.

When you multiply your square-foot demands by the retailer’s price per square foot, your measurements will almost definitely give you a good rough estimate, though minor details can affect the final result.

A transition piece, for example, will be necessary for installation in rooms that are more than 40 feet long and 25 feet broad.

Laminate Flooring Calculator can help you figure out how much laminate flooring you’ll need

It’s extremely simple once you’ve determined your surface area.

Simply enter the size of the surface area in meters or feet squared, and our laminate calculator will calculate how many packs you’ll need and how much they’ll cost.

We will present you with an instant quote for whatever type of flooring you browse across our website by just measuring your room and entering your dimensions.

You have the option of entering the entire coverage or the width and length dimensions in meters or feet.

Then sit back and let us calculate not only the cost but also the size of the space and the number of packs you’ll need to order.

To make your shopping experience less stressful, you may even store your measurements room by room.

It also offers a ten percent bonus for wastage.

While it will cost a little more, it is highly recommended in case there are any problems during the installation procedure.

The amount of flooring to purchase varies depending on the type of flooring.

Decide on the Square Footage

Multiply the width by the length of a room to get its square footage.

We recommend using a scaled drawing or an electronic tool like MagicPlan software to create your floor plan.

If you want to do your own drawing and measurement, Project: Partners will be pleased to do the math for you.

Remember that your Project: Partner is your finest resource and can answer any queries you may have.

Carpet

On your floor plan diagram, plan the carpet layout.

If the room’s width is less than the width of your chosen carpet, multiply the carpet‘s width (always 12 feet at The Floor Project) by the room’s length.

Assume the space is 10 feet broad by 18 feet long.

The exact square footage is 180 square feet, but there would be a seam through the center of the room if that were the case.

By multiplying the carpet width by the room length, we can avoid the seam: 12 feet x 18 feet = 216 square feet.

Keep in mind places like closets.

It’s 3 feet, in this case, so 12 feet x 3 feet equals an additional 36 square feet of carpet.

We’ll need a total of 252 square feet.

Always add around 2 inches for doorways so the carpet can touch the following room’s floor covering.

When installing Berber or patterned carpets, add up to 10% to the total square footage required to allow for pattern matching where a seam would be required.

Your Project: A partner can assist you in determining the appropriate amount for your space.

Hardwood

Hardwood flooring is sold in cartons of 20 square feet, but you should check with a Project: Partner or scan the product QR code at the store to double-check the number for the hardwood you’ve chosen.

For installation, a percentage of trash must be put on all hardwood flooring.

The proportion varies depending on the hardwood grade, color and grain variation, and the amount of material you’re putting.

In general, for installations using less than 1,000 square feet of material, add 10%, while for installations requiring more than 1,000 square feet, add 7%.

For items erected on a diagonal or lower grade hardwood materials, the recommended waste allowance can be as high as 15%.

Using a 210 square foot room and closet as an example, we can calculate our 10% waste limit by multiplying 210 x 10% to get 21, implying that we will need to purchase 231 square feet of hardwood.

Divide 231 by 20 if the product we chose has 20 square feet each carton.

We get 11.55, so we’ll round up to 12 cartons and buy them.

Laminate

The cartons of laminate flooring are sold individually.

The average size of a carton is 20 square feet, but this varies by style.

For exact amounts, consult your Project: Partner.

Even though laminate products are usually consistent, you must account for waste when calculating the amount of product to purchase.

Depending on the size of the project, as well as any corners or angles that might necessitate further cuts, this tolerance can range from 5 to 15%.

Let’s take a 210-square-foot room as an example.

We can calculate our tolerance for 5% waste by multiplying 210 by 5% to get 10.5, which means we’ll need 220.5 square feet of laminate. Divide 220.5 by 20 if the product we chose has 20 square feet each carton. 11.025 is the result.

Depending on the complexity of the area and your installer’s experience, you’ll need 11 or 12 boxes.

Vinyl

Glass back vinyl is offered by the roll, and the width of the roll varies based on the type.

Consult a Project: Partner to determine the roll width of the vinyl product you’re interested in.

On your floor design diagram, plan the vinyl layout.

If the room’s width is smaller than the width of your chosen vinyl, which in our case is 12 feet, double the width of your vinyl by the room’s length.

The room in our case is 10 feet broad by 18 feet long.

Although the actual square footage is 180 square feet, there will be a seam running down the center of your room.

To avoid a seam, divide the vinyl’s width (12 feet) by the room’s length (18 feet).

There are 216 square feet in all.

We’ll also need to consider our closet, which would be 12 feet (roll width) times 3 feet, for a total of 252 square feet of vinyl.

Always add around 2 inches for doorways so the vinyl can meet the following room’s floor covering.

When putting patterned vinyl, add up to 10% to the total square feet required to allow for pattern matching during the installation. For further information, contact a Project: Partner.

Vinyl Tiles of the Highest Quality (LVT)

The cartons of VT flooring are sold individually.

The average size of a carton is 20 square feet, but this varies by style.

Even though LVT goods are normally consistent, you must account for waste when calculating the amount of product to purchase.

Depending on the size of the project, as well as any corners or angles that might necessitate further cuts, this tolerance can range from 5 to 10%.

Let’s say our room and closet have a combined area of 210 square feet.

We can calculate our tolerance for 5% waste by multiplying 210 by 5% to obtain 10.5, which means we’ll need 220.5 square feet of LVT.

Divide 220.5 by 20 to get 11.025 if the product we chose has 20 square feet each carton. Depending on the complexity of the area and your installer’s experience, you’ll need 11 or 12 boxes.

What’s the point of ordering extra?

You can’t simply estimate the size of the space and then get the exact amount of laminate flooring you require when it comes to laminate flooring.

You’ll need to clip off extra laminate at the ends of sections that don’t exactly suit the exact specifications of the space as you put it together.

As a result, you may have some leftover garbage at the end of your endeavor.

In general, you should factor in waste estimations when determining how much laminate to order.

In fact, at the start of your job, order the full amount you believe you’ll need, plus a little extra for waste.

This accomplishes a number of goals:

#1 You can count on the lotto to remain consistent. While there are normally few variances between lots of laminate flooring, you may detect some, and you’d want a room with a uniform appearance.

#2 Having extra food on hand for discard avoids delays.

If you don’t order enough flooring, to begin with, you may end up having to wait for more to arrive.

This can cause your contractor to waste time or possibly cause your project to be pushed back because he or she may need to work on other tasks while waiting for your goods to arrive.

Exactly I’m not sure how much extra I should order.

Allow an additional 5-15 percent of your initial flooring measurement for waste when placing your laminate purchase.

You may definitely get away with 5% waste if the area is pretty simple—a square with no extra corners or elements in the middle of the room that you need to work around—especially if your flooring is installed by an experienced contractor.

If you have a convoluted room—or if the room is extremely small—you may need to go as high as 15% waste.

What Happens If the Box Doesn’t Have the Correct Measurement?

You’ll need an additional 25 square feet of flooring, but each box only includes 20 square feet.

Is it possible to avoid getting the extra five square feet of flooring, or should you go ahead and order the extra box?

Is there a quick answer?

There are several advantages to ordering an extra box.

When it comes to flooring, it’s always preferable to have too much than too enough.

If you don’t need all of the extra laminate flooring you ordered when you install it, you can store it to the side, ideally in a climate-controlled location similar to the room where the flooring is installed.

Then, if the laminate becomes damaged in the future, you can easily repair it with additional flooring, which will be a better match for your existing flooring than trying to acquire a new batch.

On the other hand, if you’re dealing with an experienced contractor in a reasonably straightforward space, you might be able to skip the extra box—especially if you’re on a budget.

Talk to your contractor about how much waste laminate they think they’ll need for your space before deciding to leave that additional box on the shelf, virtual or otherwise.

Speaking with your contractor can also give you a better indication of how much waste laminate they estimate to need in general, allowing you to make more informed purchasing decisions.

Our Final Thoughts

I hope you learn how to measure your laminating flooring!

Frequently Ask Questions