Laminate flooring has become so popular that many people are trying to figure out the installation themselves, without the help of specialists.
When choosing a laminate, you need to consider that each batch has its own color and pattern. Therefore, in order to choose the right amount of laminate, you need to accurately calculate the size of the room.
To choose the right amount of laminate, you need to accurately calculate the size of the room.
What are the parameters of a laminated board?
The type of laminated board depends on the width of the product.
The main indicators of laminate are:
- strip that imitates parquet – 90 mm;
- board with a pattern in the form of ceramic tiles – 330 mm;
- panel imitating a wooden floor - from 185 to 195 mm.
They are usually available in thicknesses from 6 to 12 mm. Sometimes you can find 14 mm.
The most popular boards among buyers are 1260 and 1380 mm in size
The most popular boards among buyers are 1260 and 1380 mm in size. It is more difficult to work with materials with a length of 1845 mm.
The size and geometry of the floor will tell you what type of laminate to choose and how to calculate the laminate yourself.
There are several options for how to calculate the laminate flooring for a room, but none of them will calculate it so that there are no scraps. This happens because the boards are trimmed while laying the laminated board, whether you like it or not. Therefore, these trimmings will be the residual material from the laminate.
Let's analyze the first method.
To calculate, you need to have information about the size of the room. This method is used not only at home, but also in enterprises.
The size and geometry of the floor will tell you what type of laminate to choose and how to calculate the laminate yourself
For this, let’s remember our school knowledge. In order to find out the area, you need to multiply the length by the width. There are also small spaces in the room that cannot be fit into the total area. Then we will count them separately. Then we add up the 2 resulting areas and get 1 total area.
Now let's calculate how much laminate is needed for the floor. The width of the laminate can be 185 or 195 mm, and the length is usually 1260 or 1380 mm. Let's calculate the area of the panel by multiplying the width by the length. Then how to calculate how much laminate you need? To do this, you need to divide the area of the room by the area of the laminate, and you will find out how many pieces of panels you need to take per room. Definitely a must have in stock. There are about 8 pieces of laminate in a package, although it varies. That is, you need to divide the number of panels into 8 pieces per package, and you will find out how many packs of laminate you need to purchase to lay the floor.
Now let's look at the second method.
The second method, unlike the first, takes into account the number of scraps when laying laminated boards
Let's calculate the laminate flooring in a room where there are ledges and columns. To do this, we will focus on a room with dimensions of 6.5 × 3.25 square meters. m and laminate with a size of 185 × 1260 mm. Let's convert the size of the laminated board from millimeters to meters and get 0.185 × 1.26 m. Knowing the length of the room is 6.5 m and the length of the panel is 1.26 m, we divide these 2 numbers and find out how many pieces need to be taken. Then we divide the width of the room of 3.25 m by the width of the laminate and we also get pieces. We multiply the results and get a number that indicates how much laminate flooring is needed for the room. Let’s not forget to add an existing piece with a size of 0.4×1.17 m. Divide 0.4 m/0.185 m and get 2 more panels. That is, we add 2 more panels to the resulting pieces and get 101 panels or 101/8 = 12.625 or 12 packs and 5 pieces of panels.
You will see the resulting difference in calculations, which is 9 panels. What's the matter? How to calculate the laminate flooring for a room using the second method?
The second method, unlike the first, takes into account the number of scraps when laying laminated boards. Therefore, the second method is the most proven and reliable.
But what about the protrusion? First, it is measured. For this overhang you will need about 2 panels.
If you calculate using the first method, then a sufficient number of scraps remain there, which helps save on the number of panels in the adjacent room. It's very convenient.
The main thing in the calculations is to take into account the fact that a distance from the wall of 1 - 1.5 cm is required
The main thing in the calculations is to take into account the fact that a distance from the wall of 1 - 1.5 cm is required. This helps save a whole row of laminated boards.
How to calculate laminate flooring using a calculator?
The calculator is a faithful assistant in calculating the required amount of laminate. So how to calculate laminate flooring using a calculator?
The calculator is a faithful assistant in calculating the required amount of laminate
However, keep in mind that not a single calculator gives an accurate picture of damaged boards during repairs. Use the data obtained not for practical purposes, but as a reason to think about the upcoming floor repair.
To manually determine the required number of panels, we use a ruler, tape measure, pen and paper for convenience.
Note! On many sites there is a calculator that helps calculate the required number of panels.
Not a single calculator gives an accurate picture of damaged boards during repairs
And in order to use the calculator to calculate the laminate flooring for a room, you just need to enter the parameters of the room. As a result, you will get how many scraps you will get, how much laminate you need to use entirely for the room, sawing off the boards, the width of the scraps, the number of packages.
However, before you start buying laminate flooring, consult with a specialist and show him the calculation. We advise you to buy an additional pack of laminate, since during transportation of cargo from place to place, the packaging may be damaged, and then it will be much more difficult to find similar material.
A quality product is expensive, so don’t skimp on it.
Here are some of them:
- How to calculate the laminate flooring for a room correctly, a piece of paper and a pencil will help you. To do this, you need to draw a diagram of the room where the floor will be laid. Then indicate the places where the niche, baseboard, battery, etc. will be.
- The layout should be indicated in more detail with actual dimensions.
- The area of the room is measured along the surface of the floor, and not along the wall.
- Buy planks of sizes that match the parameters of the room.
- Labels and pictures on the packaging provide information about the product, so look at them in detail.
- A quality product is expensive, so don't skimp on it. You will see, the result will not be long in coming. Pay attention to the product class. It shows how long the product will last.
- Decide right away which method the floor will be laid. The method will depend on how you calculate the laminate and how the floor covering will be installed subsequently. Perpendicular laying provides for 5% of the stock of boards, diagonal - 10%. When laying panels in a shaped manner, you will need to spend 25% of the material on trimming. Curly styling is a very uneconomical option, although for aesthetic reasons it is superior to other types.
- Handle the slats as carefully as possible to avoid damage.
Where can you not install laminate flooring?
This area is the place where the cabinet is installed. It is attached to the screed, which prevents the floor from bending in certain areas.
There is no need to place laminate in the area where the cabinet is installed.
If the cabinet has no bottom, then first install the fastenings, and then make the flooring.
What does asymmetrical styling mean?
This method involves less laminate consumption. If you do it as you should, it doesn’t always work out this way. It is necessary to take into account the minimum length at the edges of 30 cm, and the width of 5 cm. According to this method, the remainder of the board from the first row must be installed at the beginning of the second row, and so on. Therefore, you don’t always get the result you expect.
According to the “asymmetrical laying” method, the remainder of the board from the first row must be installed at the beginning of the second row, and so on
If you do not follow this technique, the quality of the coating will decrease, which is undesirable.
What else needs to be taken into account when installing?
Important! You should pay attention not only to how to correctly draw up a drawing, cut the laminate and calculate its quantity. The gaps that should be there in case of thermal expansion of the floor covering must also be there.
They are approximately 8-12mm along the entire length of the walls. It is necessary to take into account that when going around obstacles in the form of a threshold or pipe, it is necessary to make a gap. To prevent gaps from being noticeable, they are covered with plinths or a decorative threshold.
It is necessary to take into account that when bypassing obstacles in the form of a threshold or pipe, it is necessary to make a gap
In conclusion, we note that we still taught you how to correctly calculate the amount of laminate, using a calculator and several calculation methods. However, we assure you that the second method will be more effective, since the calculation of the laminate also includes the features of the room where the floor will be laid.
Please note that by performing the calculation manually, you will see the real picture of what is happening and determine the required supply of laminate. This may require you to make an effort to achieve positive results.
Today the most popular cladding material is, the calculation for laminate is valid for it as well.
What to consider when choosing laminate
As a rule, when planning to lay floors, you already know the area of the room, especially since it is not difficult to calculate it; just multiply the lengths of two walls that have a common angle. Of course, there are rooms with complex contours, but they can always be divided into simple geometric shapes: a circle or part of it, a rectangle, or less often a trapezoid. But, even knowing the area of the space on which the flooring will be laid, and using a calculator, it can be quite difficult to calculate the laminate, due to the characteristics of the standard sizes of different brands of material.
The most widespread are panels with sides of 1376x192 or 1280x156, but this does not mean that you will not encounter other dimensions. In particular, there is a fairly well-known Quick-step series, all the slabs in which are shaped like squares, and the sizes can be different depending on the brand, for example, 39.4 x 39.4 or 20.5 x 20.5 centimeters. At the same time, we should not forget that when calculating laminate for one room, many operate with such a concept as the area of packaging of the material, that is, all the panels in total.
The number of profiled boards in a package often depends on the brand; sometimes there are 6-8 panels in a pack, and in some series, for example, Quick-step, there are only two.
Calculate the required amount of laminate
So, we know the area of the room. Now we urgently recalculate it, since when laying the profile board it is recommended to make an indentation from the walls of about 1-1.5 centimeters. It would seem that this is not a lot, but if you calculate for a large room, it may turn out that the gaps will take up at least 0.3 square meters, and this is already a third of the laminate board. Next, we calculate the area of the panel, it’s not difficult; we multiply the length by the width. Now all that remains is to divide the total space of the room by the area of the board and we will find out how much material we will need. The formula is as follows: N = (AB)/(ab), where A and B are the lengths of adjacent walls of the room, a and b are the sides of the panel.
However, this calculator is quite inaccurate, since it does not take into account waste, and when resorting to it, you need to add 10-15% to the result for scraps, depending on the material laying pattern. Or it can be considered so if the waste is useful in the next room. Therefore, another method of calculation is much more convenient. We take the length of the wall along which we will assemble the floors and divide it by the length of one board. This is how we find out the number of panels in one row. We round the result up to 1 decimal place, or even better, to a whole number or a whole number and a half, that is, for example, 6 or 6.5 pieces.
Then we measure the wall, perpendicular to which the rows of laminate will be mounted, and divide it by the width of the panel. We round up to a whole number up or down (as appropriate, depending on the situation), since the floor covering we are considering is not sawn along. Next, we multiply both obtained results and find out how many units of material will be needed per room. If necessary, divide by the number of boards in the package and get the required number of packs. The calculator for laminate looks like this: N = (A/a)(B/b)/n, where n is the number of panels in the package.
Errors in calculations
Depending on the layout of the profiled board, you can predict the amount of waste in advance and take it into account when you need an accurate calculation of the material. The most economical type of installation is the direct type, when the laminate is installed parallel to one of the walls, and haphazardly. That is, one board after another, when they hit the transverse wall, they cut off the excess and placed it at the beginning of the next row. This method ensures that the end seams are offset by approximately 1/3 of the board and allows you to do it almost completely without waste, but you can’t expect much beauty.
Small expenses occur with a similar scheme, but with an offset of 1/2 board. In this case, at the end of each row, excess panels shorter than half of the panel are formed, which have to be sawed off and can no longer be used. The amount of scraps sometimes amounts to up to 10% of the total amount of purchased material. You will have even more expenses if you are planning a diagonal one, there will be 15 percent or even more scraps.
With a combined method, when a straight pattern is used along the walls and a diagonal pattern in the center, the ratio of laying areas of one type or another should be taken into account and the approximate percentage of waste should be calculated. A lot of scraps remain when using the herringbone pattern, but the exact amount in percentage terms can only be determined by determining whether the element in the pattern will make up a whole panel, half of it, or a third. Therefore, when choosing this type of laminate installation, it is advisable to use a calculator. But the greatest amount of waste will be when creating a complex mosaic pattern - about 40% of the material. Whether such expenses are justified is up to you to decide.
How to calculate laminate flooring for a room and how many packs of laminate flooring you need to buy. Depending on the size of the laminate, there may be a lot of packs, but there may still not be enough laminate. In this material we will learn how to calculate laminate flooring.
We calculate the laminate by size.
Before calculating the laminate, you need to pay attention to what types there are.
- the plank imitating parquet flooring is 90 millimeters wide;
- the strip on which the ceramic tile pattern is applied has a width of 330 millimeters;
- the panel with imitation wood pattern has a width from 185 to 195 mm.
The thickness of laminated laminate is available from 6 to 12 millimeters. In terms of popularity, the strips with parameters of 1260 and 1380 millimeters are in greatest demand. It is most inconvenient to lay lamellas with a parameter of 1845 millimeters.
When making an individual selection, the buyer often has questions about how to calculate the laminate for a room, how to calculate how much laminate is needed for the floor if there are niches.
Next, we will consider in detail the required volume of coverage, and also consider an example where we will make a detailed calculation and calculation of the laminate flooring according to the area of the room. But before that, you need to remember that no calculation methods have been invented that will result in the presence of waste being reduced to zero.
This can be explained in such a way that when laying panels they are necessary, whether you want it or not. Also, the amount of expected waste of lamellas depends on which calculation of the laminate laying scheme was chosen.
Types of installation
The calculation of the laminate depends on the type of installation chosen, since the amount of waste depends on the type of installation.
First you need to determine the required type of installation, and then calculate the laminate based on the area of the room.
Laminate calculation
First way
Let's say our room measures 3.1 m long and 2.7 m wide. The area of our room will be 8.37 m2. We need to increase this resulting area by 5 percent.
Thus we get:
8.37*0.05= 0.42 m2
0.42 + 8.37 = 8.79 m2
The result obtained is the minimum value of the required laminate for this room.
Second way
In the second method, the laminate is calculated using such values as: the number of slats in a pack and the exact parameters of the slats.
For example, the length of your room is nine meters, the width is four meters, the length of the lamella is 1380 mm, and its width is 156. The number of lamellas in one package is eight, and you chose the installation method according to length.
After performing the calculations, we get the following parameters:
- room area is 36 m2
- the number of panels that will be applied entirely is 164
- cut off the last board to 60 millimeters
- the number of trims is 6
- the width of the trim in millimeters is 100
- total panels used 170
- number of packs is 22
- The number of unused lamellas remaining in stock is equal to six.
How to reduce the number of scraps when calculating laminate
- The smaller the size of the panels in a pack, the less waste remains when laying the laminate;
- When using the diagonal laying method in a room that has a rectangular shape, much less waste remains;
- If panels of the same type are installed in several rooms at once, waste is reduced because trim from one room can be used in another;
- When choosing a higher quality product, the risk of damage to locks and defective packaging is reduced, which also reduces waste.
Any person independently decides how to calculate laminate flooring, and after reading this article, you will be able to answer the question: how to calculate laminate flooring for a room and do it without any outside help.
Sooner or later, all owners of apartments and private houses plan to replace the flooring. In this case, you have to choose the most suitable material and calculate its required quantity. Quite often, calculations are made for laminate flooring, which is an expensive coating. Therefore, its excessive supply will entail additional unjustified costs.
Some owners make the mistake of purchasing less material, hoping to buy the rest later, when it becomes clear how much laminate is missing before the work is completed. However, in the future it may turn out to be from a different batch, and, despite the same brand, it will differ in shade of color. The best solution to this problem will be an accurate preliminary calculation.
Factors affecting laminate consumption
The consumption of laminated panels in different conditions will differ, even if the rooms have the same area. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the basic parameters of this material.
The thickness of the panels is in the range of 0.6-1.2 cm, length - 1.26 and 1.38 m. The width of the laminate depends on its pattern:
- Imitation of ceramic tiles - 33 cm;
- Imitation of natural parquet - 9 cm;
- Imitation of wooden floors - 18.5 - 19.5 cm.
These parameters must be taken into account when performing calculations. There is a close relationship between the amount of laminate and the area of the room. However, there are other factors that increase the amount of waste and, accordingly, the overall consumption of panels. One of these factors is the geometry of the room: the more complex it is, the higher the material consumption.
And has a significant influence. Laminate laid diagonally generates more waste compared to straight layouts. But straight or deck installation can be done along a short or long wall. In each case, a different cutting will be used, which affects the material consumption. Curly styling brings waste to 33% of the room area.
There are other factors such as panel sizes and material quality. Poor quality laminate means defective products that will not be used for installation. When laying the same laminate continuously in all rooms, its total consumption is significantly reduced compared to different types of panels purchased for each room separately and subsequently separated by thresholds.
Accurate preliminary calculations of the laminate will help to significantly reduce losses. However, all of them provide only approximate data and do not allow you to completely get rid of waste. In any case, it is recommended to keep a minimum supply of material that may be required in case of unforeseen situations.
Method No. 1 Calculation of laminate flooring for rooms of the correct shape
This method of calculation is widely used in construction, due to the relatively accurate results obtained regardless of the volume of work. Calculations begin by determining the area of the room by multiplying the length by the width. Then the required material for a given room is calculated, taking into account the parameters of the laminate that will be used for installation.
To determine the total area of the panels, it is necessary to divide the calculated area of the room by the area of one panel of the selected type. If the result is a fractional value, it is rounded up. In case of unforeseen situations, it is recommended to make a small additional supply of laminate.
Laminated panels are packaged in bundles. Therefore, when purchasing, you need to specify the number of pieces in one pack and after that calculate their total quantity. As an example, we can consider a typical mathematical calculation. The initial data are: room width - 3.6 m, length - 6 m. Thus, the total area is 21.6 m2.
After this, the amount of laminate is calculated. To do this, you can use a calculator with a laying diagram, and if it is not available, calculations are made manually. The laminate will be used with the following parameters: length - 1.26 m, width - 0.185 m. The area of one panel will be 0.23 m2. One package contains 8 panels, so their number is calculated according to the following scheme: 21.6/0.23/8 = 11.7. After rounding this result up, this will result in 12 packs of laminate flooring required for 21.6 m2 of flooring.
Method No. 2 Calculation for non-standard premises
This calculation method is used in cases where the premises have a non-standard shape, complemented by various structural elements in the form of columns or protrusions. The first method is also suitable for calculations, however, when adding a large number of sections with different areas, the results may turn out to be inaccurate, and the calculation process itself will take a long time.
The calculation method of the second method dispenses with the use of room space and laminate flooring. The main parameters for calculations are the length and width of the laminate panels. First, the number of panels required for laying along the width is calculated. For this purpose, the width of the room is divided by the width of one panel. Exactly the same actions are performed in relation to length indicators. Both obtained results must be multiplied and the result will be the total amount of material per piece required for laying on a given area of the room.
The considered method is considered more accurate, since it allows you to accurately take into account the number of differences in the length and width of the entire room. If there is a protrusion, it must be measured and the area determined. Next, the obtained result is subtracted from the total area of the room, after which the final calculation of the material is performed using any of the considered methods.
The first tasks faced by a person planning to lay a new floor covering is calculating the required quantity. Laminate is a fairly expensive floor covering, so purchasing it in large quantities is expensive.
Buying less than you need, hoping that later you will be able to buy the missing quantity, is also not the best option. All material must be from the same batch, otherwise individual panels will differ in shades. It’s not difficult to independently calculate how much laminate you need for a particular room; you just need to follow the rules and take into account a number of nuances.
What determines the consumption of laminate?
Exists direct relationship between the area of the room and the amount of laminate, which will be needed for arranging the floor covering in it. But there are also secondary factors influencing the amount of waste, and therefore the total consumption of material:
- Room geometry- if it has a complex shape, consumption increases
- Laying method- when laying diagonally, more waste is generated than when laying on deck (in a straight line). Deck laying can be done along a long or short wall; this factor also affects the cutting features and consumption. With shaped installation, the volume of waste reaches 33% of the usable area, that is, approximately a quarter of the purchased laminate goes to waste
- The size of the panels themselves- the smaller they are, the smaller percentage of material goes into scraps
- Material quality- consumption may increase due to defects
If the same laminate is laid in several rooms, with a transition from one to another, the total consumption is less than when purchasing a different laminate for each room and separating them with thresholds.
Where to start calculating
First of all, you need to use a tape measure and measure the length and width of the room. Sometimes during the measurement process it turns out that the angles between adjacent walls are not perfectly straight, and the opposite walls have different lengths. All this complicates the installation process, and for calculations it is better to take the maximum length and width.
If you have already decided on the choice of laminate, look in the product description to see what dimensions its panels have. If you are still studying the assortment, pay attention not only to the appearance and performance characteristics, but also to the total area of the laminate in the package. Ideal option: when the dimensions of the room are a multiple of the dimensions of the panels, but such exact matches are rare.
It is advisable to draw up a floor plan on graph paper, and if it has a complex shape, such a plan is required. It marks the location of doorways, niches and projections, internal corners, pipes, and risers. Knowing the dimensions of the panels, you can draw up a plan for their layout, which will allow you to determine what size trim will be generated and whether it will be possible to use them.
When drawing up a layout diagram, you need to consider the following points:
- A gap of 1-1.5 cm should be maintained between the walls and the laminate along the entire perimeter to compensate for changes in the linear dimensions of the material due to temperature fluctuations
- The panels must be laid with an offset of at least 40 cm. An offset of a third or half of the length is possible. The layout plan will help you choose the optimal offset amount, which will result in fewer scraps unsuitable for installation
- Cuttings shorter than 30 cm and at 5 cm is waste
You need to immediately decide how the installation will be carried out:
- When laying in a straight line, it is recommended to lay the laminate so that the rays of light fall along the long joints. If panels with a four-sided chamfer are used, the laying direction can be arbitrary
- If the room is narrow, it is better to lay the laminate in width, and if you need to visually make it longer - in length
- If the first 2 factors do not play a role, you need to consider which direction of laying will produce less waste
- When laid diagonally, the amount of waste can reach 15%
The amount of waste is not the most important criterion. As a rule, after finishing the work there are still unused boards left. If after this the residue is less than after the deck one, it’s okay. But if this installation option requires purchasing an extra pack of laminate, you should think about the feasibility of this choice.
Principles for approximate calculation of the amount of laminate
The layout plan will help you decide on the optimal layout option and will be useful when cutting. With its help, you can calculate the amount of laminate with the accuracy of a board, but such accuracy is unnecessary.
Doesn't matter laminate needs to be purchased with a reserve: There may be defective panels in the batch; there is a risk of damaging individual products during cutting and laying. In addition, this material is usually sold not individually, but in packages.
To determine the number of packages, you can use a special calculator program or make your own calculations using formulas.
Online calculators
There are several program options for calculating the amount of laminate:
Self-calculation
The general formula for calculating the number of laminate packages:
(S1+S1*x/100)/S2, where S1 is the area of the room, S2 is the area of laminate packaging, x is the percentage reserve.
If the room is a simple rectangle, the area is calculated by multiplying the length by the width. If it has complex geometry, you need to divide it into rectangles, calculate the area of each and add the results. The packaging area is usually indicated in the product description.
The percentage of reserve depends on the installation method:
- 5% - straight laying
- 10% - diagonally, if the room has a simple geometry and small panels are used
- 15% - when laying diagonally in a room of complex shape and/or using large panels
For diagonal installation, the amount of margin that is added to the main area of the room can be calculated using another method: the width of the room is multiplied by the width of the panel and by 1.42.
The result obtained (number of packages) must be rounded up. If you need to calculate the number of boards, the total area (useful area of the room plus stock) is divided by the area of one board; its length and width are indicated in the product characteristics.
Video
Instructions for using an online calculator to calculate the amount of laminate
Drawing up a laying plan for laminate flooring is an important step in calculating its quantity.
Bottom line
In order to avoid unnecessary costs and not encounter a shortage of material during the installation of flooring, it is necessary to make a preliminary calculation of its quantity. When purchasing laminate, the number of packages is usually calculated; you can use a laminate calculator or simple formulas to calculate.
There are programs for more detailed calculations; you can do them yourself, using a laminate layout plan. Choosing the optimal installation method and panels of suitable sizes, careful calculation will help minimize waste.
