Guides
Plain-English background to the numbers behind the calculators — how much flooring you need, how many boxes to buy, what an install costs by material, how much grout and thinset, subfloor prep and self-leveling, plank layout and stagger, transitions and baseboard, and what refinishing costs.
How much flooring do I need?Work out how much flooring you need: measure the room in square feet, add a waste factor by layout pattern, then turn it into boxes, tiles or square yards.How many boxes of flooring should I buy?Turn your room size into boxes of flooring: add a waste factor, divide by the box coverage on the carton, round up, and add a spare box for future repairs.Flooring installation cost by materialCompare flooring installation cost by material: hardwood, engineered, laminate, vinyl/LVP, tile and carpet, with the itemized formula and your own prices.How much does hardwood floor installation cost?Estimate hardwood floor installation cost: material area times your price per sq ft, plus labor and add-ons, times a contingency, with a worked example.How much does it cost to tile a floor?Estimate the cost to tile a floor: tile plus thinset and grout per sq ft, plus labor, times a contingency, with worked numbers and how to price the materials.How much grout & thinset do I need?Work out grout and thinset for a tile floor: grout pounds from tile size and joint width, thinset bags from trowel notch, with worked examples throughout.Subfloor prep & self-leveling: how much compound do I need?A guide to subfloor prep and self-leveling compound: how many bags you need from area and depth, why flatness matters, and how to budget the prep cost.Underlayment & vapor barrier: what and how muchUnderstand underlayment and vapor barriers: what each does, when you need them, and how to calculate the rolls from your floor area and the roll coverage.Plank layout & stagger: planning your first and last rowPlan a plank floor layout: how to size the first and last row, why a sliver last row looks wrong, how to stagger end joints, and where the expansion gap goes.Transition strips, baseboard & quarter-round: how much trimSize floor trim: transition strips at doorways and baseboard or quarter-round around the perimeter, from linear feet and piece length, with worked examples.Vinyl plank (LVP) vs laminate: cost & how much to buyCompare vinyl plank (LVP) and laminate flooring: how they differ, installed cost per sq ft, and how to work out the boxes you need from your room size.Hardwood floor refinishing cost & when it's worth itEstimate hardwood floor refinishing cost: area times your price per sq ft plus add-ons, times a contingency, and when to refinish instead of replace.Epoxy garage/basement floor: cost & coverageEstimate an epoxy garage or basement floor: cost from area, prep and coats, plus how many kits you need from area times coats divided by kit coverage.Carpet: square yards, seams & cleaning costUnderstand carpet by the square yard: convert square feet to sq yd with waste, why roll width drives seams, and how to estimate carpet cleaning cost by area.