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Construction & Homefinishing

Flooring Cost Calculator

Flooring cost from room dimensions, separating the area to cover from the area to order. Ordering the exact floor area is the standard mistake: every edge cut wastes part of a tile, and a second delivery rarely matches the first batch.

Also called: tile cost calculator, flooring estimate.

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Cuts at the edges and breakages. Higher for diagonal or patterned laying.

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Flooring cost
$34,446.00

$34,446.00 for 23.1 square metres, with $22,869.00 of material and $8,085.00 of labour. Order 25.4 square metres to cover 23.1. The 10% difference is edge cuts and breakage, and material is priced on the larger figure while labour is paid on the smaller. Skirting runs 19.4 metres on the perimeter rather than the area, which is why a long narrow room costs more per square metre than a square one. Keep a box spare: a later batch will not match the shade of this one. Rates vary by city, season and contractor. Treat the figure as a budget with a stated contingency, not a quotation.

Floor area
23.1
Area to order, with wastage
25.41
Material
$22,869.00
Labour
$8,085.00
Skirting
$3,492.00
Cost a square metre
$1,491.17
Perimeter
19.4
On wastage
Order 25.4 square metres to cover 23.1. The 10% difference is edge cuts and breakage, and material is priced on the larger figure while labour is paid on the smaller.
On ordering
Skirting runs 19.4 metres on the perimeter rather than the area, which is why a long narrow room costs more per square metre than a square one. Keep a box spare: a later batch will not match the shade of this one. Rates vary by city, season and contractor. Treat the figure as a budget with a stated contingency, not a quotation.

Where the cost sits

Total$34,446.00
Material $22,869 (66%)Labour $8,085 (23%)Skirting $3,492 (10%)Underlay $0 (0%)

The estimate

ItemQuantityRateAmount
Material25.41 sqm$900$22,869
Laying labour23.1 sqm$350$8,085
Skirting19.4 m$180$3,492
Underlay or levelling23.1 sqm$0$0
Method and background

How this is calculated

The floor area is straightforward and the ordering quantity is not. Ten percent wastage covers straight laying in a simple rectangle; diagonal or patterned laying wastes fifteen to twenty, and a room with alcoves more again. The reason to overbuy is not only the cuts: tile and timber are made in batches with visible shade variation between them, so a shortfall solved by a second order tends to show. Skirting runs on the perimeter rather than the area, which is why a long narrow room costs more per square metre than a square one of the same size.

the area to buy is larger than the area to cover, because every cut at an edge wastes part of a tile
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Length
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Width
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Wastage

Method and limits

What it assumes

  • Rectangular rooms, with the perimeter taken from the same dimensions.

What it deliberately does not model

  • Subfloor repair, levelling and old floor removal are separate line items and often substantial.
  • Doorway thresholds, trims and adhesives are not costed here.

Formula version 1.0.0 · definition 1.0.0 · United States · Report a problem with this calculator

Frequently asked questions

How much extra flooring should I order?
Ten percent for straight laying in a simple room, fifteen to twenty for diagonal or patterned work. Keep a box spare too, since a later batch will not match the shade.
Why does a narrow room cost more per square metre?
Because skirting runs on the perimeter and not the area. A long thin room has more edge for the same floor, so the per-square-metre figure rises.