Legal
Disclaimer
Every calculator on this site gives an estimate built from the numbers you give it. Here is what that does and does not mean.
Estimates, not quotes
The calculators work out figures from the values you enter plus the labelled default assumptions on each page. They are arithmetic, not predictions. Treat every result as a well-explained estimate and check it against your own documents, quotes, labels or measurements before acting on it.
Not professional advice
Flooring decisions touch money, safety and the structure of a house. A floor laid on a wet slab can fail; a floor heater wired wrongly is a fire and shock hazard; old vinyl and its adhesive can contain asbestos; stairs that are slippery or uneven cause falls. The calculators are not a substitute for the flooring maker’s installation instructions, the building and electrical codes where you live, a licensed electrician, an engineer, an asbestos test, or a qualified installer who has seen the floor.
Specific limits of this site’s calculators
The calculators count materials and estimate costs from the measurements you give them. They do not know whether your subfloor is flat, dry or stiff enough for the floor you want; the flooring’s own instructions set those limits, and the floor has to be measured and tested to meet them. They do not check a floor structure’s capacity for heavy tile or stone, and the joist calculator counts framing rather than designing it.
Box and carton coverage, roll widths, pattern repeats, trowel and leveler coverage and expansion gaps all vary by product. The defaults are typical figures; take the real figure from the label, the carton or the data sheet of the product you buy, and enter it. Waste allowances are trade conventions; an awkward room, a difficult pattern or an inexperienced installer can need more.
Cost figures are national ranges from dated surveys with a broad regional adjustment. They are for budgeting and for checking a quote, not a prediction of what any installer will charge. Electricity costs for floor heating depend on your tariff, thermostat settings and insulation.
Sources and updates
Default figures come from public sources named on each calculator’s assumption table and on the methodology page, with the date they were last checked. We update them when sources change and at least once a year, but a default may be out of date on the day you use it. Your own figures are always better than ours.
Advertising
Advertisements on the site are served by Google AdSense and are labelled as advertisements. We do not choose or endorse the products advertised, and an advertisement’s appearance next to a calculator does not mean the calculator was built with that product in mind.
Errors
If a calculator or a guide is wrong, we want to know. Write to contact@flooringscalculator.com or use the contact form; error reports are checked first. Our editorial policy explains how corrections are made and recorded.