Before buying flooring, it’s very important to measure your space correctly and calculate how much you need.
By following the 5 steps below, you can easily avoid:
- Buying too little and running out of flooring
- Buying too much and wasting money
Step 1: Prepare Your Tools and Draw a Simple Plan
You will need:
- A tape measure
- Paper and pen
- A calculator
What to do:
1. Draw a simple floor plan of your room(s) on paper
2. Mark all:
- Doors
- Windows
- Columns or pillars
- Fixed furniture (such as kitchen cabinets, islands, etc.)
It doesn’t need to look professional — as long as you can understand it, that’s enough.
Step 2: Measure and Calculate the “Base Area”
Choose one of the following methods depending on your room layout:
Method 1: Overall Measurement Method (Highly Recommended)
Best for:
- Multiple rooms
- But the overall shape is close to a large rectangle
- No complicated recesses or unusual angles
How to measure:
1. Measure the maximum total length and the maximum total width of the entire area. (from one end wall to the other, including hallways and corridors)
2. Calculate:
Base Area = Maximum Length × Maximum Width
Advantages:
- Automatically includes cutting allowance for doorways and corridors
- Less risk of missing any area
- Simple and safe
Example:
- Total length: 8.2m
- Total width: 6.5m
Base area = 8.2 × 6.5 = 53.3 m²
Method 2: Section-by-Section Measurement (For Irregular Rooms)
Best for:
- L-shaped or U-shaped rooms
- Bay windows, recesses or alcoves
- Non-90° angles or uneven walls
How to measure:
1. Divide the room into several regular rectangles
2. Calculate each area separately:
Area of each section = Length × Width
3. Add them all together:
Total base area = Sum of all sections
Advantages:
- More accurate for irregular layouts
- Avoids large measurement errors caused by complex shapes
Example:
Room is divided into 3 rectangles:
- S1: 1m × 0.5m = 0.5 m²
- S2: 5m × 2m = 10 m²
- S3: 4m × 8m = 32 m²
Total base area = 0.5 + 10 + 32 = 42.5 m²
Step 3: Identify Room Type & Laying Method → Choose Waste Allowance (Very Important)
Waste comes from:
- Cutting and trimming
- Corners and doorways
- Unusable offcuts
- Mistakes or damaged pieces
- Pattern alignment
Please choose the option that best matches your situation:
| Room Type | Features | Straight Laying | Staggered Laying |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular room / L-shape / U-shape (90°) | Parallel walls, can be split into rectangles | 8%–10% | 15%-20% |
| Irregular room | Non-90° angles, uneven walls, many recesses | 15% | 20%–25% |
| Multiple rooms | Several rooms connected, cross-room cutting | 15% | 20%–25% |
⚠️ Staggered or patterned laying always creates more waste than straight laying — this is completely normal.
Step 4: Calculate the Total Area You Need to Buy
Formula:
Total Required Area = Base Area × (1 + Waste Allowance)
Example:
- Home has a base area of 53.3 m².
- Because it is a multi-room layout with straight-lay installation, we apply a 15% waste allowance.
So: Total Required Area=53.3 × 1.15 = 61.295 m²
Step 5: Convert Area into Number of Packs
1. Check the product page to find how many m² one pack covers
2. Calculate:
Packs needed = Total Required Area ÷ Coverage per Pack
3. Always round up to the next whole pack
Example:
- Total required area: 61.3 m²
- One pack covers: 5 m²
61.3 ÷ 5 = 12.26 → You should buy 13 packs
Very Important Measurement Tips
1. Do not subtract doors or windows (cuts will use this material anyway)
2. Always buy a little extra rather than not enough
3. Extra packs can be kept for:
- Future repairs
- Replacing damaged pieces
4. If your flooring has a wood grain or direction:
- Plan one consistent laying direction (usually along the longest wall)
In One Sentence:
- It’s always better to buy slightly more than not enough.
- One pack short = the whole job stops. One pack extra = useful spare for the future.
By following this guide, you’ll be able to calculate the right quantity with confidence and start your DIY project smoothly.
Happy installing! 😊
