Cost My Reno · Buying a floor
Compare two products by whole cartons, installation, and the costs a price-per-square-foot label leaves out.
See the worked example ↓Replace the sample prices with your own quotes. Currency changes labels, not exchange rates. Changing measurement units converts dimensions, coverage, and labor rates.
Combine rooms only when buying the same product. Divide an L-shaped room into non-overlapping rectangles. Exclude only areas that will not receive flooring.
Net floor area 300 sq ft
10% is a sample, not a universal rule. Follow the selected product and installation pattern.
Enter carton coverage and carton price from each product label. Labor is charged on net measured floor area here; confirm the installer’s billing basis.
Blank means unknown, not free. Enter 0 only if included elsewhere or genuinely not needed. Tax is an amount you enter, not a tax-rate calculation.
| Scope item | Product A | Product B |
|---|---|---|
| Removal & disposal | ||
| Subfloor preparation | ||
| Underlay / adhesive | ||
| Transitions & trim | ||
| Delivery | ||
| Tax (actual amount) | ||
| Other costs |
$1,733.00
Known-cost subtotal — incomplete
Still unpriced: Removal & disposal, Subfloor preparation, Underlay / adhesive, Transitions & trim, Delivery, Tax (actual amount), Other costs.
$1,733.00
Known-cost subtotal — incomplete
Still unpriced: Removal & disposal, Subfloor preparation, Underlay / adhesive, Transitions & trim, Delivery, Tax (actual amount), Other costs.
Known-cost difference: $0.00. Do not choose a winner yet: unpriced work can reverse the comparison.
| Allowance | Option A cartons | Option B cartons |
|---|---|---|
| 5% | 14 | 16 |
| 10% | 14 | 17 |
| 15% | 15 | 18 |
These are comparison scenarios, not installation recommendations.
Calculations stay in this page; we do not upload your room or quote inputs. Reloading clears the plan. Download it before leaving. This tool compares your assumptions; it does not verify local prices or produce a board cut plan.
This is a constructed example, not a retailer quote. A 15 × 20 ft room has 300 sq ft of floor. Adding a chosen 10% allowance gives a target of 330 sq ft.
| Calculation | Product A | Product B |
|---|---|---|
| Carton coverage | 23.8 sq ft | 20 sq ft |
| Carton price | $59.50 | $49.00 |
| Price per sq ft | $2.50 | $2.45 |
| Whole cartons | ceil(330 ÷ 23.8) = 14 | ceil(330 ÷ 20) = 17 |
| Material subtotal | $833 | $833 |
| Purchased area | 333.2 sq ft | 340 sq ft |
The lower advertised area price does not save money in this example. Both orders cost $833, but B leaves more material above the chosen allowance. If B also needs $90 of separate underlay and A does not, B becomes $90 more expensive. Whether either floor permits or requires that underlay must be checked in its installation instructions.
Measured area is the floor receiving the material. Waste allowance adds a selected margin for cuts and defects. Carton rounding is the additional quantity created by buying whole packages. For A, those quantities are 300 + 30 + 3.2 = 333.2 sq ft. Purchased excess is not a prediction of the reusable pieces left after installation.
At a hypothetical $3 per sq ft installation rate billed on net area, labor is 300 × $3 = $900. Do not automatically charge it on 333.2 sq ft. Ask the installer whether their quote instead uses a minimum job price, a fixed total, stairs, or separate preparation work.
The rigid-core flooring installation instructions hosted by The Home Depot specify a 10% overage for that product. That supports one product-specific example, not a rule for every floor. The FTC’s home improvement guidance supports obtaining written estimates and checking contractor credentials. Neither source supplies the sample prices above; the carton comparison is our arithmetic.
Updated September 5, 2026. No contractor or manufacturer review is claimed. Read how this site is produced.