Flooring calculator
Divide the floor area by the coverage per pack, then add 10% for cuts. A 5 × 4 m room is 20 m²; at 1.97 m² per pack that is eleven packs after waste. Diagonal or herringbone lays need 15–20% instead.
How to work out flooring
Two details cost more than the cutting waste. The first is that the last row is almost never a full plank width, and if it works out under 50 mm the whole floor should be shifted so the first and last rows are balanced — which costs one extra row of material. The second is expansion gap: floating floors need 10–12 mm all round, which is hidden by beading but must exist. Butting a laminate floor tight to the skirting is the single most common cause of a floor that buckles in summer.
Questions
Ten per cent for a straight lay in a simple room. Fifteen if the room has bays, alcoves or a diagonal lay; twenty for herringbone.
Yes. 10 to 12 mm around every edge and around pipes, for any floating floor. It is covered by beading or skirting and it is not optional.
Typically 1.8 to 2.2 m². It is printed on the pack, and it is the only number that really matters for the count.
Buy it to the room area plus a small margin, not to the plank count. Some laminates have underlay pre-attached, in which case you need none.
Usually yes for a floating floor, provided the tiles are sound and level. Check the door clearance first. The build-up can stop a door closing.