Flooring Calculator
Work out how much flooring to buy and what it will cost: square feet with waste, boxes, material cost or total installed cost for laminate, vinyl plank, hardwood, tile or stone.
Last updated: October 2026
Flooring to Buy
194.4 sq ft
Formula below Β· 1 source (homedepot.com) Β· Updated Oct 2026
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About this calculator
Flooring to buy = room area Γ (1 + waste %). The room area is length Γ width in square feet; add closets and alcoves you will floor, and split L-shaped rooms into rectangles. Boxes = flooring to buy Γ· the square feet printed on the box, rounded up.
Waste allowance
Boards and tiles are cut at every wall, doorway and cabinet, and the offcuts are not always usable elsewhere. Retailers suggest ordering 5% to 10% more than the measured area. Click-together laminate and vinyl plank laid straight are at the low end, hardwood and tile a little higher, and diagonal or herringbone layouts and natural stone, where more pieces are cut or rejected, need around 15%.
Cost
Material cost is the flooring you buy, waste included, times the price per square foot. Installation is normally quoted per square foot of floor installed, so labor here is charged on the room area, not on the waste. Underlayment, trim, transitions, removal of the old floor and subfloor repairs are often priced separately; add them to the material or labor rate if your quote includes them. The default prices are examples only, so enter your own.
How to use
Enter the room size in feet, pick the layout, the square feet per box from the label, the material price and the installer's labor rate, then choose what to show. The default 15 ft Γ 12 ft room is 180 sq ft; with 8% waste you buy 194.4 sq ft, which is 10 boxes of 20 sq ft. At $3.50 per sq ft the material costs $680.40, and with $2.00 per sq ft labor on 180 sq ft the installed total is $1,040.40.
Frequently asked questions
How much extra flooring should I buy?
Order 5% to 10% more than the room area for a straight layout, and about 15% for diagonal or herringbone layouts or natural stone. Keep a box of leftovers for repairs.
How many boxes of flooring do I need?
Divide the square feet to buy (area plus waste) by the square feet per box on the label and round up. A 180 sq ft room with 8% waste needs 194.4 sq ft, which is 10 boxes of 20 sq ft.
Is labor charged on the waste too?
Usually not. Installers price by the square foot of floor they install, so this calculator applies labor to the room area and material price to the area plus waste. Check whether your quote includes underlayment, trim and removal.
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