Ordering flooring seems straightforward until you come up short on the last room or end up with 15 boxes of leftover hardwood in your garage. Both happen constantly, and both come down to the same issue: measuring wrong or ignoring the waste factor.
I’ve been estimating and installing flooring as part of remodel projects for over 20 years. The square footage calculation itself is simple math. The part that trips people up is knowing how much extra to order by material type, remembering to measure the spaces everyone forgets, and understanding that the number on the floor plan is never the number you actually order.
This guide covers all of it. If you just need the math done fast, plug your room dimensions into our square footage calculator and then run the results through the flooring calculator to add the correct waste factor.
Step 1: Measure Every Room Getting New Flooring
Start with a sketch. Walk through the house and draw a rough layout of every room, hallway, and closet that’s getting new flooring. This is your checklist. The rooms you forget to measure are the ones that cause material shortages.
Rectangular Rooms
Most rooms are close to rectangular. Measure the length and width at the widest points, wall to wall.
Length x Width = Square Feet
- Master bedroom: 14 ft x 12 ft = 168 SF
- Guest bedroom: 11 ft x 10 ft = 110 SF
- Living room: 18 ft x 15 ft = 270 SF
L-Shaped or Irregular Rooms
Break the room into rectangles, calculate each section, then add them together.
Example: An L-shaped kitchen/dining area
- Kitchen section: 12 ft x 14 ft = 168 SF
- Dining section: 10 ft x 8 ft = 80 SF
- Total: 248 SF
Rooms with Angles
For rooms with angled walls, measure the longest length and width to get the full rectangle, then subtract the triangle created by the angle.
Triangle area: (Base x Height) / 2
A room that’s 12 x 14 with a 3 x 5 corner cut off: (12 x 14) - (3 x 5 / 2) = 168 - 7.5 = 160.5 SF
Step 2: Don’t Forget These Spaces
These are the areas people consistently miss. Every one of these eats material if they’re getting the same flooring.
Hallways
Hallways are narrow, but they’re long. A typical hallway (3.5 ft x 12 ft) is 42 SF. In a house with an L-shaped hallway connecting bedrooms, you can easily have 80-120 SF of hallway.
Measure each hallway section separately. Width times length. If the hallway changes width (like where it opens to a landing), break it into sections.
Closets
Standard closets (2 ft x 5 ft = 10 SF) don’t seem like much individually. But a 3-bedroom house might have 6-8 closets. That’s 60-150 SF of closet floor space.
Walk-in closets are even more significant. A 6 x 8 walk-in is 48 SF.
Decision point: Some homeowners skip closets to save money, which is fine for carpet or LVP. For hardwood, I recommend running it into closets for a seamless look. Either way, decide before you measure so your total is accurate.
Pantries and Laundry Rooms
If they’re getting the same flooring as the kitchen, measure them. A pantry (3 x 5 = 15 SF) and laundry room (6 x 8 = 48 SF) together add 63 SF.
Doorway Transitions
If you’re transitioning between rooms with different flooring, the flooring typically extends to the center of the doorway. This adds a small amount per door (about 1-2 SF each), but with 8-10 doorways in a house, it adds up.
Under Cabinets and Built-Ins
If you’re installing flooring before cabinets (recommended), measure the full room including where cabinets will go. If you’re installing around existing cabinets, measure only the exposed floor area. Make this decision early because it affects your total by 30-50 SF in a kitchen.
Step 3: Apply the Right Waste Factor
This is where most ordering mistakes happen. The waste factor is NOT optional. It accounts for cuts, breakage, pattern matching, defects, and pieces that don’t fit. Every material type has a different waste factor because of how it’s cut and installed.
Hardwood: 10% Waste
- Straight-lay pattern: 10% is standard
- Diagonal pattern: Bump to 15% (more angled cuts = more waste)
- Herringbone or chevron: 15-20% (significant waste from precise angle cuts)
- Wide plank (7”+): Add an extra 2-3% because defects in wider boards waste more material per piece
Why 10%: Hardwood planks are cut to fit at walls, around door frames, and at transitions. Each cut creates a short piece that may or may not be usable in the next row. Wider rooms waste less. Narrow rooms and hallways waste more.
Tile: 15% Waste
- Standard straight-lay (12x12, 12x24): 15% is the minimum
- Diagonal tile: 18-20%
- Large format tile (24x24+): 15-18% (larger tiles, bigger waste when one breaks)
- Mosaic or intricate patterns: 20% (lots of cutting, lots of breakage)
Why 15%: Tile is brittle. Pieces break during cutting, during handling, and sometimes right out of the box. Wet saws create kerfs that eat material. And unlike hardwood, you can’t use a tile offcut on the opposite wall, it has to match the pattern line.
Use our tile calculator to get the exact quantity including waste for your specific tile size and layout.
Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP): 7% Waste
- Standard click-lock LVP: 7% is usually enough
- Glue-down LVP: 7-8%
- Herringbone LVP: 12-15%
Why only 7%: LVP is easy to cut (utility knife scores it), rarely breaks, and the click-lock system makes offcuts reusable more often than other materials. It’s the most forgiving flooring material to install, which is why it’s become so popular for DIY projects.
Carpet: 10-15% Waste
- Standard roll (12 ft wide): 10% for rectangular rooms
- Multiple rooms with narrow hallways: 15%
- Patterned carpet: 15-20% (pattern matching creates seam waste)
Why variable: Carpet waste depends heavily on room shapes and how the seams fall. A 12-foot-wide roll in a 13-foot room means you’re joining two pieces with significant waste on the second piece. Your carpet installer or retailer should do a seam diagram to calculate exact waste.
Laminate: 10% Waste
- Standard click-together: 10%
- Diagonal install: 15%
Laminate behaves similarly to hardwood in terms of cutting waste but handles a bit differently. The locking mechanism can sometimes fail on offcuts, making short pieces unusable.
Step 4: Calculate Your Order Quantity
Here’s the formula:
Total Room SF x (1 + Waste Factor) = Order Quantity
Worked Example: Full House Flooring
A homeowner is putting LVP throughout the main floor:
| Space | Dimensions | Square Feet |
|---|---|---|
| Living room | 18 x 15 | 270 |
| Kitchen/dining | 20 x 14 | 280 |
| Master bedroom | 14 x 12 | 168 |
| Bedroom 2 | 11 x 10 | 110 |
| Bedroom 3 | 10 x 10 | 100 |
| Hallway | 3.5 x 25 | 88 |
| Walk-in closet | 6 x 8 | 48 |
| Standard closets (4) | 2 x 5 each | 40 |
| Laundry | 6 x 7 | 42 |
| Pantry | 3 x 4 | 12 |
| Total measured | 1,158 SF |
Apply 7% waste for LVP: 1,158 x 1.07 = 1,239 SF to order
LVP comes in boxes covering about 20-24 SF each. At 22 SF per box: 1,239 / 22 = 57 boxes (round up from 56.3).
Cost check: At $3.50/SF for mid-range LVP, that’s about $4,337 in material. Dropping the waste factor to save money risks coming up short. A $240 shortage in material means a second delivery, possible dye-lot differences, and a delay.
Ordering Tips That Save Money and Headaches
Buy From the Same Lot
Flooring manufactured in different production runs can have slight color variations. This is especially true for hardwood and tile. When ordering, confirm that all boxes come from the same lot number. If the store has to pull from two lots, inspect them side by side before accepting.
Order Everything at Once
Don’t order “most of it now and the rest later.” The style might be discontinued. The lot might be sold out. The price might change. Order it all on the same purchase order.
Keep 2-3 Extra Boxes
After installation, keep a few boxes in a climate-controlled space (not the garage). If you get a scratch, a water stain, or a broken plank in three years, you’ll have matching material for the repair. This is especially important for hardwood and tile where the exact color match matters.
Account for Transitions and Trim
Your flooring order doesn’t include transition strips, quarter-round, or shoe molding. Calculate these separately:
- Transition strips: Measure every doorway where flooring type changes
- Quarter-round/shoe molding: Measure the total room perimeter minus doorways
- Stair nosing: If flooring goes on stairs, count each stair edge
Verify Box Coverage
Don’t assume all boxes cover the same area. Check the box label for exact square footage per box. Plank width, length, and pieces per box vary by brand and product line.
Quick Reference: Waste Factors by Material
| Material | Standard Waste | Diagonal/Pattern | Herringbone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwood | 10% | 15% | 15-20% |
| Tile | 15% | 18-20% | N/A |
| LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank) | 7% | 10% | 12-15% |
| Carpet | 10-15% | N/A | N/A |
| Laminate | 10% | 15% | 15% |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate square footage for flooring in an odd-shaped room?
Break it into rectangles and triangles. Measure each shape separately, calculate the area, and add them together. For curved walls, measure to the farthest point and accept a small overcount. It’s better to order slightly more than to run short. Use our square footage calculator to keep track of multiple sections.
Should I include closets when ordering flooring?
If the closet is getting the same flooring, yes. Measure every closet and add it to your total. If you’re leaving closet floors as-is or using a different material, skip them. Make this decision before you order.
How much flooring do I need for a 12x12 room?
A 12x12 room is 144 SF. With waste factor:
- Hardwood (10%): 159 SF
- Tile (15%): 166 SF
- LVP (7%): 154 SF
Always round up to the nearest full box.
Can I return unused flooring?
Most retailers accept unopened boxes within 30-90 days with receipt. Opened boxes typically cannot be returned. This is another reason to keep a few extra boxes for future repairs and return the rest within the window.
Why do contractors add more waste than the percentages listed here?
Some contractors pad the waste factor to ensure they never run short, which protects their schedule. A shortage means a second trip, possible delay, and risk of lot mismatch. The waste factors in this guide are realistic minimums. If you’re a contractor pricing competitive bids, these numbers work. If you’re a homeowner doing your first install, adding an extra 2-3% for peace of mind is reasonable.
Get Your Flooring Math Right
The formula is simple: measure every space, apply the waste factor for your material, round up to full boxes. The part that takes discipline is measuring every hallway, closet, and transition instead of just eyeballing the big rooms.
Run your room dimensions through our flooring calculator to get material quantities with waste already factored in. For a step-by-step ordering guide with worked examples for each material type, see square footage for flooring: how to calculate and order the right amount. If you need to go back to the basics of measuring individual rooms before applying these waste factors, how to measure square footage covers rectangular rooms, L-shapes, and the most common measuring mistakes. For a deeper look at flooring pricing and material comparisons, check out the flooring cost guide. And if you’re a contractor pricing flooring labor, our guide on how to estimate flooring installation labor covers production rates, crew sizing, and labor burden calculations.
Brad is a third-generation contractor with over 20 years in residential remodeling. He’s the founder of EstimationPro.AI, building tools that help contractors and homeowners estimate projects accurately.
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