How to Calculate Flooring Materials
Determining the amount of flooring to purchase requires measuring and calculating the area of the floor to be covered by the materials. Complex areas that are not rectangular can be a little confusing, but taking the measurements step by step and breaking it down into small areas is usually the best way to work. Make a drawing on paper as you measure to make the area calculations easy and determine how much flooring is required. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Divide the floor into rectangles that can be easily measured and their area calculated. Draw the rectangles on graph paper using a consistent scale to avoid confusion. One square = 1 foot is usually a good scale to use. Don't forget closets if you plan to extend the flooring into them.
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Measure each rectangle with the tape measure as it is drawn on the graph paper and record the length and width. Round the measurements up to the next foot. For example: 4 feet, 9 inches becomes 5 feet.
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Calculate the area of each rectangle with the calculator by multiplying its length by its width. A 5-foot by 10-foot rectangle has an area of 5 x 10 = 50 square feet. Write the area of each rectangle on the graph paper.
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Total the square footage of each area. You will need some additional material for waste, cutoffs or breakage depending on the material being used. Many contractors add in 5 to 10 percent more materials to allow for this.
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Determine the units your flooring is sold in and calculate how many units you will need. Example: a box of tile contains 12 square feet of tile and your flooring area is 135 square feet. Therefore, 135 divided 12 = 11.25 boxes. Round the number up to 12 boxes and you will be including 6.75 percent for waste and cutoffs.
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Tips & Warnings
Be sure to order enough material, especially if it is not locally available. Having a little left over is preferable to being four tiles short of a finished job and having to wait six weeks for more tile to come in.
References
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