A simple guide from the Woodcraft Flooring team
Measuring your room for new flooring doesn’t need to feel complicated.
With a tape measure, a quick sketch and a few minutes, you can give us everything we need to provide an accurate quote and ensure the right amount of flooring is ordered for your space.
Follow the steps below and send your measurements over, we’ll always double-check everything before any order is placed.
Step 1: Get your tools ready
Before you start, grab:
- A tape measure (ideally 5m or longer)
- A notepad and pen
- Your phone calculator
- A blank piece of paper to sketch your room
We recommend measuring in metres (m) rather than centimetres, as flooring is calculated in square metres (m²).
Step 2: Sketch your room (it doesn’t need to be perfect)
Draw a simple outline of your room as if you’re looking at it from above. This is just for guidance, it doesn’t need to be to scale or look professional.
Make sure to include:
- All walls
- Doorways or openings
- Bay windows or alcoves
- Any unusual corners or shapes
This helps us properly understand the layout and avoid under-ordering materials.
Step 3: Measure wall to wall
Now measure the full length and width of your room from wall to wall. Write each measurement clearly on your sketch.
Example:
Length: 5.2m
Width: 3.8m
If your room is a straightforward rectangle, simply multiply:
Length × Width = total square metres (m²)
So in this example:
5.2 × 3.8 = 19.76m²
Step 4: Measuring awkward or irregular spaces
Not every room is a perfect square, and that’s completely normal. If your space has alcoves, bay windows or L-shapes, break the room into smaller rectangles and measure each section separately.
For example:
• Main area: 4m × 3m
• Window Bay Area: 1.5m × 1m
Work out each section individually, then add them together for your total square metres. This gives us a much more accurate idea of what your project requires.
Step 5: Add extra for cuts and wastage
Once you have your total square metres, we always recommend adding extra to allow for cuts, pattern matching and natural wastage during installation.
As a general rule of thumb:
- Plank flooring: add 10%
- Herringbone: add 15%
- Chevron: add 15%
Pattern floors such as herringbone and chevron require more cutting and precision, which naturally increases the amount of material needed.
This additional percentage covers:
Cutting during installation
Pattern alignment and layout
Natural wastage
Spare boards for any future repairs
Example (plank flooring):
22m² room
• 10% (2.2m²)
= 24.2m² to order
Example (herringbone or chevron):
22m² room
• 15% (3.3m²)
= 25.3m² to order
Don’t worry if this feels confusing, our team will always review your measurements and confirm the exact quantities before anything is ordered.
Step 6: Send everything over to us
Once you’ve measured your space, simply send us:
- A photo of your sketch with measurements
- Photos or a quick video of the room
- Any questions you may have
Our team will review everything and guide you on the exact quantity needed, suitable products and next steps.
Email: info@woodcraftflooring.co.uk
Website: www.woodcraftflooring.co.uk
Prefer us to measure for you?
For larger homes, complex layouts or high-end projects, we always recommend a professional site measure by our team.
This ensures complete accuracy before ordering and allows us to advise on layout, direction of boards and finishes, especially for bespoke or custom wood flooring.