This calculator will help you estimate how many square feet of laminate flooring you might need for your next project. It also factors in whether you are installing the boards straight or on a diagonal. If you already know the square footage per case of the laminate flooring you will be using and the cost per case, the calculator will also provide a breakdown of how many case you might need as well as the cost for the cases.
How to calculate how much laminate flooring is needed
To calculate how much laminate flooring you will need, you will want to find the square footage of the area you will be installing the flooring then add an allowance for waste.
To find the square footage of a room, you would multiply the length of the room by the width of the room. Our calculator makes it easy for you to enter both the length and width in feet as well as inches.
How much waste do you need for flooring?
For most project materials, you want to add a buffer to allow for waste. Waste is the amount of leftover materials that might no longer be usable after making cuts, that break during installation, etc.
For most projects, allowing 5% to 10% for waste material is sufficient. 10% is what the calculator uses for straight installations and 15% for diagonal installations.
If you have a lot of cuts to make, or you are new at cutting laminate flooring (and might need to re-do a few cuts due to mistakes), a 15% or even 20% waste allowance is reasonable.
A fifteen percent waste allowance is recommended for diagonally installed flooring.
The extra flooring added as a waste allowance gives you some breathing room in the event you make a few bad cuts, or were off in your measurements by a few inches. Having a little extra on hand means you won’t have to put a partially completed project on hold because you ran out of materials. A few extra boards might also come in handy in the future if a board is damaged and needs replacement.
How many boxes of laminate flooring do I need?
To calculate how many boxes (cases) of flooring you’ll need, you would divide the square footage of the room by the square footage each case of flooring provides.
How many boxes of laminate flooring do i need for a 12×12 room? For a 12×12 room (158.4 sq ft including waste allowance), you would need 6.6 cases of flooring (@24 sq ft per case).
How much flooring do I need for a 10×10 room? For a 10×10 room (110 sq ft including waste allowance), you would need 4.58 cases of flooring (@24 sq ft per case).
How much flooring do I need for a 11×13 room? For a 11×13 room (157.3 sq ft including waste allowance), you would need 6.55 cases of flooring (@24 sq ft per case).
How much does it cost to install 1000 sq ft of laminate plank flooring?
The cost for laminate flooring varies greatly, but on average you would need 46 cases of flooring (@24 sq ft per case) and at a price of $35 per case your cost would be $1600 not including underlayment and labor.
