How Many Boxes of Flooring Do I Need? A Simple Guide for Fixer-Uppers
Measure once, order once. How to count square feet, add the right waste factor, and turn it into a box count so you do not run short halfway through a room.
Running short on flooring is the most common and most avoidable problem on a fixer-upper. A second order can mean a second delivery charge, a week’s delay and, on a bad day, a slightly different production run. Here is how to get the count right the first time.
Step 1: Measure each room
Measure length and width in feet at the widest points and multiply. A 12 ft by 15 ft bedroom is 180 sq ft. For L-shaped rooms, split them into rectangles and add them up. Include closets.
Step 2: Add waste
- 10% for a normal straight layout.
- 15% for diagonal layouts, lots of small rooms or many doorways.
- 5% only for one big, simple rectangle.
Step 3: Divide by the box size
Each collection has its own box size. Divide your total by the sq ft per box and always round up:
- Alpine: 23.95 sq ft per box
- Montclair: 19.16 sq ft per box
- Harper and Citadel: 21.45 sq ft per box
Example: 850 sq ft of Harper with 10% waste is 935 sq ft. 935 ÷ 21.45 = 43.6, so order 44 boxes.
Or let the site do it
Every product page has a room size calculator. Type in your square footage, keep “Add 10% for cuts” ticked, and it fills in the box count for you.
Keep two spare boxes. On a rental or a house you will hold, spares let you swap a damaged plank years later with a perfect match.
Not sure about a tricky layout? Send us a photo of your floor plan on WhatsApp and we will check the count.
