ContractorHandbook

How Much Flooring for a 14x14 Room?

Boxes to order

10 boxes

196 square feet of floor, ten percent waste, boxes of 22.5 square feet.

It does not stop at a number.

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waste10%room area, sq ftone box covers a fixed number of square feetarea with waste / coverage per box = boxes, rounded up
Flooring is sold by the box and installed by the plank, so the only number that matters on the label is the square feet per box. The waste allowance covers the cut at each wall and the offcut that starts the next row.

How that number is worked out

These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.

  • Floor area196 sq ft
  • Coverage per box or carton22.5 sq ft
  • Waste allowance10 %

Boxes to order10 boxes

Floor area196 sq ft
With 10% waste215.6 sq ft
Boxes at 22.5 sq ft10
Coverage bought225 sq ft
Left over29 sq ftkeep it for repairs

The material list this produces

Flooring, boxes10
Underlayment, sq ft196
Transition strips, each2

Waste allowance compared

Waste is set by how you lay it, not by how careful you are. Straight lay to herringbone, same room.

Waste allowanceBoxes to orderWith 10% wasteLeft over
5%10 boxes205.8 sq ft29 sq ft
10%10 boxes215.6 sq ft29 sq ft
15%11 boxes225.4 sq ft51.5 sq ft
20%11 boxes235.2 sq ft51.5 sq ft

What else matters here

A hundred and ninety six square feet plus ten percent is 215.6, ten cartons, 225 bought.

Before the first plank goes down, work out what the last row will be. Divide the room width by the plank width: if the remainder leaves a final row under about two inches, the floor ends on a sliver that is hard to click in, easy to break and obvious from the door.

The fix is to rip the first row narrower and split the difference, so the first and last rows are the same comfortable width. It costs one cut per plank on row one and it is the difference between a floor that looks laid out and a floor that looks like it ran out. The same arithmetic applies to tile, where the sliver lands in both directions.

What this calculator assumes

  • 10 percent waste covers a straight lay in a simple rectangle. Go to 15 for a diagonal or herringbone lay, and 20 if the room is cut up with closets and angles.
  • Buy the whole job in one delivery. Dye lot and batch shade move between production runs, and a single replacement box six months later will not match.

Questions people ask

How many boxes of flooring for a 14x14 room?

About 10 boxes at 22.5 square feet each, covering 196 square feet with ten percent waste.

What if the last row of flooring is too narrow?

Rip the first row down and split the difference so the first and last rows match. A final row under about two inches is fragile and looks like an accident.

How do I plan the plank layout?

Divide the room width by the plank width before you start. The remainder is the last row, and if it is too small the whole layout shifts by ripping row one.

Different numbers?

The flooring calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.

Other common sizes