How to Measure a Room for Flooring

How to measure your room for flooring

Measuring up is simple. Get it right and you will order the correct amount first time, with a small allowance for cuts and waste. Here is the method we give our trade and retail customers every day.

What you need

A tape measure or laser measure, a pen and paper, and a calculator. For awkward shapes, sketch the room roughly and split it into rectangles.

Step 1: Measure length and width

Measure the longest length and the widest width of the room in metres. Always measure into doorways, bay windows and alcoves, and measure at the widest points so you never come up short.

Step 2: Multiply to get the floor area

Multiply length by width to get the area in square metres. For example, a room 4.2m by 3.5m is 14.7 square metres. For L-shaped or irregular rooms, split the space into rectangles, work out each area, and add them together.

Step 3: Add an allowance for waste

Add extra to cover cuts, trimming and the odd mistake. As a guide, add 5 to 10 percent for standard plank or tile layouts, and 10 to 15 percent for herringbone, chevron or diagonal patterns, which produce more offcuts. If you are new to fitting, err on the higher side.

Step 4: Convert to boxes

Flooring is sold by the box, and every box covers a set number of square metres, shown on each product page. Divide your total area including waste by the coverage per box, then round up to the next whole box. Our product pages include a box calculator that does this for you: enter your room size and it tells you how many boxes to order.

Tips

Order all your flooring in one go so the batch and shade match. Keep a spare box or two after fitting for future repairs. If in doubt, send us your measurements and we will check the quantity for you.

Not sure? We will help

Order a free sample to check the colour in your own light, request a quote, or call our Worthing team on 01903 861474. Ready to fit? See our flooring installation guides.