If there aren’t any obstructions or unusual aspects to the room, the length and width will be enough to calculate the area.
If there are any closets, obstructions, or angled areas in the room, you’ll start with this basic area and adjust it with a few more calculations to get the actual total amount of floor space.
The long part of the “L” is 14 feet (4. 3 m) long and 8 feet (2. 4 m) on one end and 12 feet (3. 7 m) on the other. The other walls on the part of the “L” that sticks out are 6 feet (1. 8 m) and 4 feet (1. 2 m) long. This means you can divide the room into two rectangles. One will be 14 feet (4. 3 m) by 8 feet (2. 4 m). The other will be 6 feet (1. 8 m) by 4 feet (1. 2 m). Calculating the area of each rectangle, then adding the sums together gives you a total floorspace of 136 feet (41 m) square.
Imagine you have a bay window that juts out in a trapezoidal shape. The base of this trapezoid (an imaginary line going from one end of its widest point to the other) is 4 feet (1. 2 m). The height of the trapezoid (the distance from the imaginary line of the base to the point where the wall starts under the window) is 0. 5 feet (0. 15 m). Multiply these measurements to get a hypothetical rectangle with an area of 2 feet (0. 61 m) square. The sides of the trapezoid will angle inwards, making the actual area less than 2 feet (0. 61 m) square. You’ll cut the flooring material to fit the trapezoid later, and discard the excess.
For instance, if the total floor space is 142 feet (43 m) square, a 5 percent increase would give you 149. 1 feet (45. 4 m) square. A 10 percent increase would give you 156. 2 feet (47. 6 m) square. Having extra material is a safeguard against mistakes or damages that occur either during installation or later. You can always replace the ruined piece with new material if you have extra on hand.
Divide the total area you want covered by the amount each box of flooring covers to find the number of boxes you need. Add a box if there is any remainder. For instance, if each box of flooring covers 10 feet (3. 0 m) square, and you have 149. 1 feet (45. 4 m) square to cover, you’ll need 15 boxes (149. 1 divided by 10 is 14. 91).
If you are using tiles that are 0. 5 feet (0. 15 m) square, and you want to cover a room that is 80 feet (24 m) square, you’ll need 160 tiles (80 divided by 0. 5 equals 160. Add 10 percent extra as a precaution, to equal a total of 176 tiles.
