How to calculate flooring
Flooring needed = length × width × (1 + waste %)
A 15 × 12 ft room is 180 sq ft. With 10% waste you need 198 sq ft. If each box covers 20 sq ft, that is 198 ÷ 20 = 9.9, so buy 10 boxes.
How much waste to allow
- 5–10% for straight planks or tiles in a simple rectangular room.
- 10–15% for rooms with many corners, alcoves or doorways.
- 15–20% for diagonal and herringbone layouts.
Keep one unopened box for future repairs: later batches may not match the colour exactly.