Hardwood Flooring Calculator
Works out hardwood or engineered flooring packs. Waste runs higher than for laminate, because solid timber is graded and some boards get rejected.
Whole packs, rounded up.
Share sends a link that reopens these numbers. Copy details pastes the full breakdown as a list.
The formula
packs = ceiling(area × (1 + waste) ÷ pack coverage)
The rounding is the whole point. Flooring only comes in whole packs, so a room needing 20.1 m² of a 2.2 m² pack buys 10 packs and 1.9 m² of spare — which is why the waste percentage matters less than people think on a small room and more on a large one.
What to watch out for
Solid wood differs from laminate in ways that change the order:
- Waste is 10–15%, not 5–10%. Some boards are rejected on sight — knots, sap streaks, colour that is too far from the rest.
- Mix the packs. Open four or five and work from all of them, or the natural variation shows up as bands across the floor.
- Acclimatise for a week, not two days. Solid timber moves far more than laminate, and it has to reach the room's humidity before it is fixed down.
- Solid wood does not suit every subfloor. Over underfloor heating or on concrete with any damp risk, engineered board is the more stable choice.
Floating floors must not touch anything. Leave a 10–12 mm expansion gap at every wall, pipe and threshold, covered by the skirting or beading. A floor fitted tight to the walls has nowhere to go when it takes up moisture, and it lifts in the middle — the single most common failure in a DIY laminate floor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much hardwood flooring do I need?
Floor area plus 10–15% waste, divided by the pack coverage. A 5 × 4 m room at 12% waste is 22.4 m², so 13 packs at 1.8 m².
Why does hardwood need more waste than laminate?
Because it is a natural graded product. Alongside the cuts, a proportion of boards are set aside for knots, sap or colour that does not suit. Rustic grades waste more than prime.
Solid or engineered wood?
Engineered is more stable and is the better choice over underfloor heating or on a concrete subfloor. Solid can be sanded back more times over its life, but it moves considerably more with humidity.