How to Measure a Room for Flooring

What you need

A tape measure (5 m or 8 m), a pencil and paper or your phone, and a helper to hold the far end on longer rooms. Laser measures are handy but a tape is accurate enough for flooring.

Measure at the widest points

Measure the length of the room wall to wall at the widest point, then repeat for the width at the widest point. Rooms are rarely perfectly square, so the widest measurement is the one that guarantees coverage.

Write both numbers down in metres to two decimal places if you can — 4.35 m, not 'about four and a bit'.

L-shaped and awkward rooms

Split the room into rectangles that share an edge, measure each rectangle separately, then add the areas. An L-shaped living room might be a 4 × 3.5 m main area (14 m²) plus a 2 × 1.5 m dining nook (3 m²), for 17 m² total.

Add the waste allowance

Every board run ends in a cut, and offcuts rarely find a home. Straight layouts in simple rooms typically need 5–10% extra; diagonal and herringbone patterns need 15% or more. Multiply your area by 1.10 or 1.15 to get the order quantity.

With 17 m² measured and a straight lay: 17 × 1.10 = 18.7 m², so order at least 18.7 m², rounding up to the pack.

Convert to packs

Flooring is sold in boxes with the coverage printed on them — commonly between 1.8 and 2.5 m² per pack. Divide your order quantity by the pack size and round up: 18.7 ÷ 2.2 = 8.5, so buy 9 packs.

Check the batch or run number on every box matches before you start laying.