Laminate, vinyl plank and hardwood are sold by the box, and each box covers a set number of square feet. To order the right amount you need three numbers: your room’s area, a waste allowance and the coverage per box.

Step 1: Measure the floor area

Multiply length by width in feet for each room or section, then add them together. Include closets and the space under appliances you’ll slide back in, such as the fridge. Split L-shaped rooms into rectangles. Our guide to measuring floors for tile uses the same approach.

Step 2: Add a waste allowance

• About 5–10% for straight installation in simple, rectangular rooms.
• About 10–15% for rooms with many corners, closets or doorways.
• About 15% or more for diagonal or herringbone layouts.

Step 3: Convert to boxes

boxes = (area × (1 + waste %)) ÷ sq ft per box, rounded up

Example: 14 × 12 ft room = 168 sq ft
168 × 1.10 = 184.8 sq ft
Boxes of 20 sq ft: 184.8 ÷ 20 = 9.24 → 10 boxes

Buy all boxes at once and check that they come from the same production lot, since color and texture can vary between batches.

Don’t forget these

• Underlayment: required for many laminates unless the planks have it attached; it’s sold by the roll in square feet.
• Transitions and baseboard or quarter-round: measure doorways and the room perimeter in linear feet.
• Expansion gap: floating floors need a gap at the walls; follow the manufacturer’s spacing.
• Acclimation: many products should rest in the room before installation; check the instructions.

Keep a spare box

If you have a full unopened box left over, many stores accept returns, but keeping a few planks for future repairs is worth it, since an exact match may be impossible to find later.

Tiling instead? Use the Tile Calculator.