When it's time to get new flooring fitted, excitement can sometimes be mixed with dread. Daunting prospects include moving all the furniture out (and thereby discovering exactly what's been lurking behind the couch for 10 years), but before even that, there is the measuring up to do.
Take no chances; take the dread and doubt out of the scenario with our handy guide and calculator to help you calculate for the right amount of flooring.
When you submit the above calculator form, your results will appear here.
The very first thing you need to do, whether you've chosen floorboards or tiles, is to calculate the area of your room.
Keep in mind while you do this that you need to consider ALL floorspace — so remember to open cupboard doors before you start, and factor-in any other nooks and crevices.
To work out the square footage, just multiply the width of the room by the length, ensuring both width and length measurements are in feet. The number you end up with is the area of the floor in square feet.
You can use the calculator at the top of this article for peace of mind in stage one!
If your room is an irregular shape, or you want to purchase the same flooring to go in several different rooms, you can sketch out a floor-plan and divide it into boxes or regular shapes. Then, just calculate the square footage of each component and add them together to get the total.
In stage one, you worked out the square footage of your space. In stage two, you need to work out how many tiles it will take to fill that space. Obviously, this is dependant on the size of tiles you've chosen.
Just use our helpful chart below to find the number you need to divide by. Then, just divide the square feet area of the room by the number from the chart.
E.g. A 140 sq. ft room is going to be fitted out with 9" terracotta floor tiles, so you divide 140 by the number from the chart, which for 9" tiles is 0.5625.
140 ÷ 0.5625 = 248.9 tiles
The final stage is just to buy a few more boxes than you think you need; you will definitely use more than the number you calculated in the second stage. Tiles are likely to get broken during the fitting process, and it's always a good idea to keep a spare pack for years in the future in case any get damaged. Stone tiles can vary due to their natural colouring, and manufacturers can vary or discontinue lines, so do buy extra in the first instance, rather than hoping for a close enough match later down the line.
For hardwood and laminate floorboards, the boxes you buy will usually state the total square footage they cover on the packaging. To work out how many boxes you need, simply divide your room's square footage by the square footage each box covers.
E.g. A 140 sq. ft room and a box of laminate that covers 22 sq. ft per box:
140 ÷ 22 = 6.36 boxes — so you'll need to buy 7 boxes
As with tiles, it's always wise to buy 5–10% extra to account for offcuts and waste. For complex room shapes or diagonal/herringbone patterns, lean toward the 10% end.
Once you know how many square feet of flooring you'll need, working out the total cost is straightforward. Multiply the total square footage by the price per square foot of your chosen flooring material.
You can use the cost field in the room calculator at the top of this page to get an instant estimate. If your supplier prices flooring by the square yard or square meter, the calculator handles both — just pick the matching unit from the dropdown.
Remember to factor in the additional 5–10% for waste, and don't forget to budget for any underlay, adhesives, beading or installation costs that aren't included in the flooring price itself.