How to measure a room for flooring
Measure each room, add the waste, then work out the area to order and the boxes. A worked example and a free calculator are at the end.
What to bring
- A tape measure or a laser measure
- The coverage of one box, printed on the package (sq ft per box)
- Something to note each room: paper, or a MesuPro sheet on your phone
Step by step
Split the floor into rectangles
Measure each room on its own. An L-shaped room becomes two rectangles; a closet or a hallway gets its own line.
Measure length and width, wall to wall
Measure at floor level, from wall to wall, at the widest point. If the walls are not square, keep the larger measurement.
Add the waste
Cuts and offcuts need extra material. The template starts at 10% waste; adjust it to the layout and the product.
Divide by the box coverage
The area to order divided by the coverage of one box gives the boxes, rounded up to the next box.
The calculation
Area = length x width. Area to order = area x (1 + waste / 100), 10% waste by default as in the template. Boxes = area to order / box coverage, rounded up.
Worked example
Two rooms, 14 x 12 ft and 10.5 x 9 ft, 10% waste and boxes of 22.5 sq ft: area 262.5 sq ft, 288.8 sq ft to order, so 13 boxes.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting closets and hallways.
- Skipping the waste: cuts along the walls always use some material.
- Rounding each room up instead of the total: add the rooms, then round up the boxes.
- Mixing feet and inches: 10 ft 6 in is 10.5 ft.
Flooring: from the rooms to the boxes
The whole job in MesuPro
Flooring: room measurement
Room by room: area, floor type, waste and area to order.
Feet and inches by default
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