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 from your material price per square foot, labor and add-ons, plus an adjustable contingency. Free, transparent.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.