How Much Flooring Do I Need?

Calculating how much LVT flooring you need for a room is straightforward — but getting it right matters. Order too little and you could be left short mid-installation. Order too much and you're paying for flooring you don't need. Here's how to get it right first time.

The Basic Formula

To calculate the square meterage of a room, you need two measurements — the length and the width. Measure both in metres, multiply them together, and you have your base square meterage.

For example, a room that is 5 metres long and 4 metres wide has a base square meterage of 20m². Simple enough — but that's not the number you order from. You always need to add a percentage for waste.

Why You Need to Add for Waste

No room is perfectly rectangular, and no installation is waste-free. Every time you cut a plank to fit the end of a row, the offcut may or may not be long enough to use again. Door frames, bay windows, alcoves, and irregular angles all require additional cuts — and with every cut there's a degree of waste.

Adding a waste allowance to your square meterage calculation is the single most important thing you can do to avoid running short. Running out of flooring mid-installation is a real problem — batches can vary slightly in shade between production runs, so buying more later may result in a visible difference between the original and the top-up order.

Step by Step — How to Calculate Your Order

1. Measure the length and width of your room in metres. For irregular rooms, break the space into rectangles, calculate each one separately, and add the totals together.
2. Multiply the length by the width to get your base square meterage. For example, a room 4.8m × 3.6m = 17.28m².
3. Add your waste allowance. For a straightforward room add 10% — multiply your base square meterage by 1.10. For a complex room multiply by 1.15. So 17.28m² × 1.10 = 19.01m².
4. Round up to the nearest whole number to give yourself a clean figure to order from. In this example, order for 20m².
5. Check the pack coverage on your chosen product and divide your total square meterage by the pack coverage to find out how many packs you need. Always round up to the nearest whole pack.

A Worked Example

Here's a real-world example to show how the calculation works in practice. A kitchen-diner measuring 6.2m × 4.1m with a bay window at one end.

Tips for Measuring Accurately

Measure the room at its widest and longest points, including into alcoves and bay windows. Don't measure wall to wall at a single point and assume the room is that size throughout — walls are rarely perfectly straight and rooms are rarely perfectly square. Measure in two or three places and use the largest measurement.

For L-shaped rooms or rooms with unusual layouts, sketch the floorplan on paper first and break it into rectangles. Calculate each rectangle separately and add the totals together before applying your waste allowance to the overall total.

Don't deduct for fixed features like kitchen islands, bath pedestals, or fireplaces unless they're very large. The flooring will run underneath or around them and the small saving isn't worth the risk of running short.

Still Not Sure?

If you're not confident in your measurements or you have an awkward room layout, get in touch and we'll help you work it out. Send us your room dimensions at sales@elbaluxeflooring.co.uk and we'll tell you exactly how much to order — no obligation, no upselling, just a straight answer.

And don't forget — before you order, we offer free XL samples delivered to your door so you can make sure you're happy with the colourway in your own space before you commit.