A 13 × 11 ft bedroom — 143 square feet — takes 60 laminate planks of 7½ × 47⅝ in when it is laid out row by row: 18 rows, the cut-off ends of 12 rows starting the next ones, a last row ripped to 4½ in. With 5 % spares that is 63 planks, 8 boxes of 19.8 ft², plus two rolls of underlayment and 45 feet of baseboard. The calculator above lays out your actual rooms — rectangular, L-shaped, with a bump-in or a bay — and counts the boxes from that layout.
How the calculator works
Add the rooms you are flooring, up to six, with their shape and size and the direction the planks run in each. Choose the flooring — laminate, vinyl plank, wide plank or your own size — and the planks per box. The three pattern cards show the cut waste of straight, diagonal and herringbone layouts for your rooms; pick one, and the result shows the planks, boxes, underlayment and baseboard. The drawing shows every plank: full, cut from a new plank, or made from an offcut.
Why lay it out instead of adding 10 %
The waste depends on how the room's length divides by the plank: a room 13 ft long takes 3.3 planks per row and the cut-offs start the next rows; a room 14 ft long leaves pieces too short to reuse and wastes four times as much. A rule of thumb can't see that; a layout can. The calculator follows the installer's rules:
- the cut-off end of a row starts another row if it is at least 12 in long;
- end joints in neighbouring rows stay at least 12 in apart;
- no end piece is shorter than 12 in where the plank allows;
- a last row narrower than a plank is ripped from full planks;
- offcuts carry over from room to room.
Patterns
| Pattern | Typical cut waste | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Straight | 4–15 % | Run the planks along the longest wall or toward the main light |
| Diagonal | 10–15 % | Rows at 45°; every plank at a wall is cut at an angle |
| Herringbone | 10–15 % | Needs A and B planks that mirror each other |
Underlayment and baseboard
Underlayment covers the floor plus about 10 % for overlaps and trimming, in 100 ft² rolls unless your product says otherwise. Baseboard runs around each room less the doorways; leave a ¼–⅜ in expansion gap under it at every wall.
Common mistakes
- A sliver for the last row. If it comes out under about 2 in, rip the first row narrower too.
- Ordering exactly. Keep a box for repairs — the same lot may be gone in a year.
- Skipping acclimation. Leave the boxes in the room for 48 hours before installing.
For tile instead of planks, use the Tile Calculator.