The amount of wastage you should allow when ordering wood flooring is in the region of 8%. In order to work out exactly, in m2 how much extra wood flooring you should order to allow for wastage, you need to start by measuring your room.
To measure your room, you need three very basic things:
- A tape measure (ideally 10m or 20m length)
- A piece of paper and
- A pen or pencil
To make the job easier, involve a friend. Two people will do this job quicker and (probably) more accurately than one.
If your room is a square or rectangle, calculating the amount of flooring you’ll need is really simple. In this case, it’s a simple matter of measuring both the length and width of the room and multiplying one by the other. Once you’ve calculated the total surface area of your room, you should add 8% to the total to allow for wastage.
If you have an “odd” shaped room, try to split the room into square or rectangular “chunks” which you can then measure and add together at the end, remembering of course to add your 8% to allow for wastage (Find out more about how to measure your room)
Don’t forget when measuring your room, to include any alcoves, door frames, cupboards or small recesses as they will need to be included in your overall flooring project. Forgetting these could mean that you don’t have sufficient wood to complete your project. Once calculated, these areas should be included in your calculation for how much wastage you should allow when ordering wood flooring.
Most wood flooring is sold and priced in m2, so it’s best to measure your room in m2. M2 prices are calculated on the cost of a square of wood flooring measuring exactly one metre by one metre. That said, solid wood or engineered wood flooring is sometimes sold by the pack, which may or may not be exactly one square metre. If this is the case, the wood floor company will list the m2 covered by each pack, allowing you to make your calculation.
No matter the shape or size of your room, you should always allow 8% for wastage when ordering wood flooring as this will allow you to complete your project in the peace of mind of knowing you have sufficient flooring.