Flooring Calculator
Estimate from your measurements. Starting prices are examples, so enter your own. Subfloor work, floor removal, and baseboard installation are not included.
To estimate flooring, add waste to the room area and divide by the coverage per box. A 12 × 10 ft room is 120 ft². With 10% waste you need 132 ft², which is 7 boxes at 20 ft² each. At example prices, that comes to $398 for materials and $720 for installation. Enter your room and prices below to see materials and the total separately.
What does laminate flooring cost by room size?
| Area | Boxes | Materials | Installation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 ft² | 6 | $340 | $600 | $940 |
| 150 ft² | 9 | $510 | $900 | $1,410 |
| 200 ft² | 11 | $630 | $1,200 | $1,830 |
| 300 ft² | 17 | $970 | $1,800 | $2,770 |
| 500 ft² | 28 | $1,600 | $3,000 | $4,600 |
How to calculate flooring
- Area: length × width. Split an irregular room into rectangles, or use the square footage calculator.
- To order: area × (1 + waste).
- Boxes: area to order ÷ coverage per box, rounded up. Flooring sells by the full carton.
A 12 × 10 ft room is 120 ft². With 10% waste, that's 132 ft². At 20 ft² per box, that's 6.6 boxes, so you buy 7 and get 140 ft². Box sizes vary by product, and the 20 ft² here is only an example, so take the real figure from the box label.
How much extra flooring to buy
Waste depends on the material, the layout, and the room. The presets above cover the common cases:
- 5%: a straight lay of vinyl plank in a simple room.
- 10%: the safe default. Inch Calculator says to order at least 10% extra for laminate, and it suits rooms with closets and several doors.
- 15%: a diagonal layout, which cuts at an angle along every wall. Hardwood is also often 10 to 15%.
- 18%: herringbone, on products made for that pattern.
Keep leftovers for repairs, stored somewhere dry and labeled with the batch number. Buy everything at once, because dye lots vary. Many stores take back full, unopened cartons, so check the policy.
Laminate, vinyl plank, or hardwood
The math is the same for any floor sold by the box. Usual overage differs by type:
- Laminate: 7 to 10%, and more for patterns.
- Vinyl plank (LVP): 5 to 10%.
- Hardwood: 10 to 15%.
- Tile: 10 to 20%. The tile calculator is the better tool, since it counts by tile size and adds grout joints.
Flooring cost per square foot
The starting prices are based on laminate figures from This Old House: material at $1 to $4 per ft², averaging $2.50, and installation at $4 to $8 per ft². Inch Calculator gives $2 to $7 for labor and $5 to $12 installed. Underlayment runs $30 to $50 per 100 ft² roll, so the calculator starts at $0.40.
The 120 ft² room comes to $1,118, or about $9.32 per ft²: 140 ft² of flooring for $350, underlayment for $48, and $720 for installation. If you install it yourself, you pay only the $398 in materials. Baseboard starts blank, so enter your price to include it. The table above shows other room sizes.
What the calculator doesn't cover
- Subfloor repair: $1.50 to $7 per ft² if it's damaged or uneven. For a low-spot fix, size the bags with the self-leveling concrete calculator.
- Removing the old floor: pros charge $50 to $70 an hour. Floating floors can often go over what's there.
- Moisture barrier: about $35 a roll, where the product calls for one.
- Stairs and glue-down work: these raise labor, so ask for a quote.
For baseboard, the calculator subtracts 3 ft per door. That's our assumption for a typical opening. For wide openings, measure the run yourself and enter it as the perimeter in known area mode.
Common mistakes
- Ordering the exact room area. Every wall leaves an offcut, so that never covers the floor.
- Pricing the net area. You pay for whole boxes. In the example, that's 140 ft², not 120.
- Forgetting the expansion gap. Floating floors need a gap at the walls and pipes. One German guide gives 10 mm, about 3/8 in. Your product's instructions decide.
- Installing straight from the truck. Let the planks acclimate in the room. The same guide says at least 48 hours, and your product's instructions take priority.
- Comparing labor quotes without checking the scope. Ask whether baseboard, removal, and subfloor work are included.
Waste figures and prices come from the guides listed below, and the examples and table figures were checked with this calculator. Prices vary by region and are not quotes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate how much flooring I need?
Multiply the room area by 1 plus your waste, then divide by the coverage per box and round up. A 120 ft² room with 10% waste needs 132 ft², or 7 boxes at 20 ft² each.
How much extra flooring should I buy?
About 10% for most rooms. Simple rooms with vinyl plank can use 5%, diagonal layouts about 15%, and herringbone about 18%. Rooms with closets and many doors need more.
How many boxes of flooring do I need for 500 square feet?
With 10% waste you need 550 ft², which is 28 boxes at 20 ft² each. Divide by your own box coverage, since box sizes vary by product.
How much does it cost to install laminate flooring per square foot?
Labor usually runs $2 to $8 per ft², and laminate installed runs about $5 to $12 per ft². Thin planks, glue-down work, odd shapes, and stairs raise labor.
How much does it cost to floor a 200 square foot room?
About $1,830 at the example prices here: $630 in materials and underlayment plus $1,200 for installation. This Old House gives $1,000 to $2,400 for 200 ft² of laminate. Subfloor work is extra.
Do I need underlayment under laminate or vinyl plank?
Yes, unless the planks have it attached. Check the box. Set the underlayment field to attached and the calculator removes it from the materials.
Does this work for hardwood and vinyl plank?
Yes. Any floor sold by the box uses the same math. Enter the coverage from your box and use the waste for your floor type, such as 10 to 15% for hardwood.
Should I subtract closets and doorways?
Include closets if they get the same floor, since they add area and cuts. Don't subtract doorways from the floor area. The calculator only takes doors off the baseboard.
Related calculators
Sources
- Laminate Flooring Installation CostThis Old HouseMaterial $1 to $4 per ft², labor $4 to $8 per ft², 200 ft² for $1,000 to $2,400, underlayment rolls, subfloor repair $1.50 to $7 per ft².
- Cost to Install Laminate FlooringInch CalculatorLabor $2 to $7 per ft², $5 to $12 installed, at least 10% extra plus more for patterns.
- How Much Extra Flooring To BuyFlooring ClarityOverage by floor type and layout, full cartons, dye lots, storing leftovers, returns.
- Laminat-Rechnerdeutschland-rechner.deWaste by pattern, including 18% for herringbone.
- Bodenbelag-RechnerClean Invoice10 mm expansion gap for floating floors and at least 48 hours of acclimation.