How the calculator works
Each room's net area is length times width. Measure to the inside face of the walls and carry the floor through each door opening to the door centerline. Do not deduct casework unless the spec says the floor stops at it; the floor usually runs underneath. Columns, shafts and fixed equipment pads come off as deducts.
The order quantity is the net area plus your waste allowance, plus the attic stock the spec asks for (Part 1, maintenance material submittals), then rounded up to full cartons. Waste and attic stock are added separately because they are different things: one is cut off during installation, the other is handed to the owner.
Base is the wall length at the floor line around each room, less the door openings, plus a small allowance for corners and cuts. Base runs behind casework with its own toe kick, and walls with tile or integral cove, are not base: take them out.
What a calculator can't do
Rectangles only get you close. A real flooring takeoff traces each room from the plan, follows the finish schedule and the plan hatch room by room, splits areas by product and color, lays out roll goods by seam instead of a percent, and lists the transitions at every material change. It also flags rooms marked existing to remain and the finish changes inside a room. That is what a Countersheet flooring takeoff does, counted twice, in 48 hours.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate flooring for a takeoff?
Measure each room's net area to the inside face of the walls and through door openings to the door centerline, then add the rooms. The order quantity is the net area plus your waste allowance, plus the attic stock the spec asks for, rounded up to full cartons.
What waste factor should I use for flooring?
There is no industry-standard table. Waste comes from the room shapes, the cuts at the walls and the layout pattern, so it changes with every job. Use the manufacturer's figure where one exists, and write the percent you used on the takeoff so the estimator can change it.
Is attic stock the same as waste?
No. Waste is material cut off during installation. Attic stock is extra material the owner keeps for repairs, set in the spec's maintenance materials article, often 2 to 10 percent of the amount installed. It is added on top of waste.
How do I figure resilient base?
Measure the wall length at the floor line for every room that gets base, subtract the door and cased openings, then add a small allowance for corners and cuts. Base comes in coils (a 4 inch by 120 foot coil is common) or 4 foot pieces, so round up to whole coils or pieces.