Flooring calculators

Choose the right waste allowance

Every floor loses some material to cuts at walls, doorways and around fixed units. A simple rectangular room laid in straight rows wastes the least. Diagonal layouts, herringbone patterns, large-format tiles and rooms with many corners waste more, so raise the allowance for them. For carpet, the waste comes mostly from the fixed roll width rather than from cuts, which is why the carpet tool works out the best direction to lay the roll.

Check the subfloor before you buy

Laminate and vinyl plank need a flat, dry base; tile needs a rigid one that will not flex. Fixing a dip or a squeaky board takes far less effort before the new floor goes down than after. Read the manufacturer’s flatness and moisture limits, and include any levelling compound or underlay in your budget.

Measure the whole floor at once

When several rooms get the same floor, measure them together and add each one as a separate area. Ordering for the whole floor in one go uses offcuts from one room in the next, keeps every box from the same production lot and avoids a second delivery charge. Note where thresholds and transition strips will go between rooms, because they change how much is cut at each doorway.

Buy from the same lot

Tiles and planks can vary slightly in colour between production runs. Buy everything at once, keep the lot or batch number on the box, and keep one spare box for future repairs.