Waist to Height Ratio
The measure BMI structurally cannot give you.
Health & Home
Flooring Calculator
Area, packs and waste for laminate, vinyl or wood.
What it does. Flooring is floor area divided by the coverage per pack, rounded up, plus waste. The waste factor is the part that matters: 5% for a simple rectangular room laid straight, 15% or more for diagonal laying or a room with many cuts.
Runs in your browserNothing uploadsNo signupWorks offline
How to use Flooring Calculator
- Enter the room dimensions, or add several areas.
- Set the pack coverage from the product label.
- Choose the laying pattern to set the waste factor.
Waste is not padding
Every cut board leaves an offcut. Some offcuts start the next row, but many are too short to use, and the proportion wasted depends on how the room relates to the board length.
A straight lay in a simple rectangle wastes little. A diagonal or herringbone lay cuts every board at both ends, and 15 to 20% is normal.
Buy the waste with the main order. Flooring is manufactured in batches with slight shade variation, and a top-up pack bought weeks later can be visibly different under daylight.
Typical waste factors
| Situation | Add |
|---|---|
| Simple rectangle, straight lay | 5% |
| Room with alcoves or a bay | 10% |
| Several doorways or an L-shape | 10–12% |
| Diagonal lay | 15% |
| Herringbone or chevron | 15–20% |
| Large-format tile | 10–15% |
Add a little beyond the calculation regardless — keeping one spare pack means a damaged board years later can be replaced from the same batch rather than the closest available match.
Expansion gaps and what they mean for the count
Wood and laminate move with humidity, so they are laid floating with an expansion gap of roughly 10 to 12mm at every wall, covered by skirting or beading.
The gap does not reduce the material needed — you still cut from full boards — so calculate on the full room and let the gap come out of the cuts.
Skipping the gap is one of the most common failures in a DIY floor. A floating floor with nowhere to expand lifts and peaks in the middle in the first humid spell, and no amount of weight on top prevents it.
Frequently asked questions
How much extra flooring should I buy?
5% for a simple rectangle laid straight, 10 to 12% for an L-shape or several doorways, and 15 to 20% for diagonal or herringbone, where every board is cut at both ends.
Why buy the waste at the same time?
Flooring is made in batches with slight shade variation. A top-up pack bought weeks later can be visibly different in daylight, and there is no fixing that once laid.
Do expansion gaps reduce how much I need?
No. You still cut from full boards, so calculate on the full room area and let the gap come out of the offcuts.
What happens if I skip the expansion gap?
A floating floor with nowhere to expand lifts and peaks in the middle during the first humid spell. Weighting it down does not help — the material has to go somewhere.
How do I handle an L-shaped room?
Split it into rectangles, calculate each, and add them. That is more accurate than a bounding box, and this tool lets you add several areas.