When planning for new floor installation, one of the very first steps you should take as a homeowner is to accurately calculate the square footage of the rooms in question. Your budget will thank you in advance! By having the total square footage handy, you can more quickly determine if the stylish flooring that has caught your eye is a realistic option for your home, or will put you over-budget. Of course, there is more to determining your flooring cost than simply measuring the length and width of a room. And don’t be afraid if you don’t consider yourself a ‘math person’, here are some tips on how to calculate flooring sq footage like a pro and accurately assess your project:
Once you have determined your actual square footage, it’s wise to allow for at least a 5%-10% overage in flooring material to cover any possible installing mishaps or defects noticed during installation. This overage could also be higher depending on the size and shape of the area you're working with, such as rooms with any tricky inlets or areas with odd dimensions. Laminate flooring, or another type of flooring that can be cut, is an excellent choice to consider if you will need extra material to customize to fit odd dimensions. For carpet installation, it’s best to plan for a 20% overage in flooring material. Add the appropriate overage figure to your square footage and now you are ready to estimate flooring cost.
For example: If your total square footage is 119.54 sq ft., you can determine that 10% overage is close to 12 sq ft. (120 sq ft. x .10 = 12 sq ft.). Add the overage figure of 12 sq ft. to 119.54 sq ft. to arrive at a total of 131.54 sq ft., which easily rounds up to 132 sq ft. needed for your project.
What’s your new floor going to be: Gorgeous hardwood? Timeless stone? Versatile vinyl? Once you’ve selected your favorite flooring product, you can use a flooring calculator tool such as the one featured on this page to estimate your total flooring material cost for that specific product. We suggest picking your top 5-10 favorite flooring products in advance, and making a chart that compares the total flooring material cost for each, side by side, as you calculate each of your favorite styles.
Now that you have your total flooring material, take a moment to add in any other costs, or factors that must be considered, to your total project budget. These can include whether you will need professional installation, new underlayment or padding, or purchasing a warranty. In addition to flooring material costs, our Associated Costs guide can also help you to think of these other factors with your project.
Sometimes it can help to get additional opinions if you feel overwhelmed or experience doubts in your calculations. To receive a total project cost estimate, you can always submit a Free Estimate Request Form to your local Carpet One Floor & Home store or work directly with one of our helpful flooring experts in-store.