Installing new hardwood floors is a great investment in your property. Choosing the right one is often the hardest part. That is, of course, unless you find that you’ve started your project and are short on material.
It’s one of the oldest horror stories in the renovation book. Not having enough material on hand, especially for flooring, can delay multiple other renovation projects you may have in mind.
Hardwood flooring is typically sold by the box even though it is priced per square foot, so keep that in mind as you’re calculating the square footage that you need to be covered.
Calculating The Square Footage for Your Flooring
Of course, the first step is knowing how much square footage your hardwood floor will cover. In a more traditional house with right angles and rectangular rooms this step will be a breeze. Homes with more unique layouts and non-traditional room shapes will take a little extra calculating to get the area correct.
If you’re taking measurements yourself, the easiest way to get an accurate square footage is to measure rooms by dividing them up into the simplest shapes. Rooms with all right angles need an extra 5-7% to cover the waste created when flooring is cut for installation. Rooms with multiple angles will require more cuts, and therefore as much as an extra 15% to account for waste.
Plan to Address Future Flooring Needs
You will want to have some pieces of your hardwood stored for future repairs as the flooring likely won’t be simple to match exactly even just a year or two down the road. Accidents do happen and having enough product to replace a damaged piece will keep your flooring looking fresh and new much longer. Of course, you don’t want to keep enough on hand to cover a large area as it can take up a lot of space in your home.
It’s also important to keep a record of the exact flooring products used in your home. Hopefully the need for a large repair won’t be necessary, but if it is, having the name, manufacturer, and color on hand will save a lot of time and aggravation in trying to match it.
Working with experienced flooring contractors means you won’t have to worry about this these details. We’ll take full measurements and calculate the square footage along with the amount of overage needed for your specific space.
At Flohr, our team of experts is ready to help you select the right product for your home and install it without any of the headaches. Give us a call today to set up an appointment.
