- 1). Begin by measuring the length and width of the room where you plan on installing the flooring. Start at one corner and measure along the baseboard of the wall. Repeat along the perpendicular wall. If a room is not square of rectangular then measure all of the walls.
- 2). Draw a picture of the room. Transfer the measurements of the room onto this picture. Multiply the longest length by the longest width. This will give you the total square footage of the room. If the room is not square or rectangular then simply separate the picture of the room into squares and figure out the square footage for these smaller areas using the same formula---length times width. Then add, or subtract, these numbers to the total square footage number depending upon whether these areas make the room smaller or larger.
- 3). Add an additional ten percent for waste and to have extra in case you damage and need to replace a section.
- 4). Calculate the cost of the flooring by taking the total square footage and multiplying by the per-square-foot cost of the material you decided to purchase. For example, if the room is 10 feet by 12 feet then the total square footage is 120 square feet. Add an additional 10 percent for waste so the amount you want to purchase is 132 square feet of material. If the cost of the wood flooring is $5 per square foot then multiple this by 132 to get $660 for the cost of the wood.
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