Flooring Calculator
Flooring to buy for a room, with waste, boxes and cost.
The estimate
Room area plus a waste allowance for cuts at walls, around door frames, and ruined planks. A 12 × 10 room is 120 sq ft; with 10% waste you buy 132 sq ft, which at 20 sq ft per box is 7 boxes. Always round boxes up, and keep the spare planks: future repairs will want the same batch.
Waste depends on the pattern
Straight lay along the long wall wastes the least (about 10%). Diagonal and herringbone cuts every edge plank at an angle: budget 15%, and 20% for small or oddly shaped rooms. Floating floors also need an expansion gap at every wall, which costs no material but means the trim hides your least perfect cuts.