How many boxes of flooring do I need?
Measure the room, add spare for cuts, and divide by the coverage printed on one box. Here is the rule, a worked example and a free calculator.
How do I work out how many boxes of flooring I need?
Multiply the room's length by its width to get the floor area. Add 10% for cutting and mistakes, or 15% for diagonal or herringbone layouts. Divide the total by the coverage printed on one box, which is often around 2 m² or 20 ft², and always round up to a whole box.
Worked example
- Room 4 m × 3.5 m = 14 m² (or 12 ft × 15 ft = 180 ft²).
- Add 10% spare: 15.4 m² (198 ft²).
- Boxes cover 2.0 m² each: 15.4 ÷ 2.0 = 7.7, so buy 8 boxes. At 22 ft² a box: 198 ÷ 22 = 9 boxes.
How much extra flooring should I buy for waste?
For a simple rectangular room laid straight, 10% extra is the usual allowance. Rooms with many corners, pipes or doorways need more, and diagonal or herringbone patterns commonly need about 15%. Keep one unopened box after the job, because matching the same batch colour years later can be hard.
What if my room is not a rectangle?
Split the floor into rectangles, work out each area, and add them together before adding the spare. For an L-shaped room, measure the long part as one rectangle and the short leg as another. Roomveil works on one rectangle at a time, so plan the biggest rectangle first and add the rest after.
See the floor in your room
Roomveil shows wood planks or floor tiles on a photo of your room in the colour and size you choose, then counts the boxes with your spare included. You can change the spare and the box coverage to match the product you are buying.
These are common rules of thumb and code minimums, given for planning. Always check the product label, the maker's instructions and your local building code before you buy or build.