How to Estimate Flooring, Tile and Carpet (and How Much Waste to Add)

    Measure a room, add the right waste allowance and convert to boxes of flooring, tiles or square yards of carpet.

    All floor coverings follow the same idea: measure the area, add an allowance for waste, then convert to the unit the product is sold in. Boxes, tiles and square yards are just different ways of dividing the same area.

    Step 1: Measure the room

    Multiply length by width in feet. For an L-shape or a room with alcoves, split it into rectangles and add them. Include closets if the flooring will run into them.

    Step 2: Add waste

    Waste covers cuts along the walls, damaged pieces and pattern matching. Ten percent is a common allowance for a simple room; use 15 percent or more for diagonal layouts, herringbone patterns or rooms with many corners.

    Flooring in boxes

    Plank flooring such as laminate, vinyl plank and engineered wood is sold in boxes that each cover a stated area, often in the range of 15 to 25 square feet. Divide your area with waste by the coverage on the box and round up.

    Tile by the piece

    Divide the area with waste by the area of one tile. A 12 × 12 inch tile covers 1 square foot, so 100 square feet needs 100 tiles before waste. A 6 × 6 inch tile covers a quarter of a square foot, so you need 4 per square foot. Grout joints take up space, so check your layout and the tile's actual size, not just its nominal size.

    Carpet in square yards

    Carpet is sold by the square yard or cut from a broadloom roll, commonly 12 feet wide. Divide square feet by 9 to get square yards. A 12 × 15 foot room is 180 square feet, or 20 square yards. Because the roll has a fixed width, the length you buy is usually more than the room's area suggests, and seams should be planned away from heavy traffic.

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