Hardwood Flooring Calculator
Hardwood wastes more when boards run on a slant or in a herringbone pattern. Pick your layout, and this adds the waste it usually needs before counting boxes.
- Free
- Works offline after your first visit
- Saves on this device
- No sign-up
- Updated
How it works
Floor area is length times width. The waste allowance depends on the layout, about 10 percent for straight boards, 15 for diagonal and 20 for herringbone. The area plus that allowance is divided by the coverage of one box, then rounded up.
These waste figures are typical starting points, not product specifications. Boards with many defects, or a room with many angles, may need more.
Worked example
With the layout you chose, a room 15 ft by 12 ft, or 180 ft² of floor, needs 10 boxes of hardwood.
Questions
Why does a diagonal layout need more?
Cutting boards at an angle leaves more offcuts at the walls, and each cut end wastes a piece of board.
Does the box coverage already include waste?
No. The box label gives the area it covers, and the waste allowance is added on top here.
Do people keep spare boards?
Many people keep a few spare boards from the same batch for future repairs, since colour can shift over time.
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