Calculations

Calculating the Square Footage

To help you keep track of what you need, you might like to download our worksheet (PDF).

If you like, you may send or bring in your plans and we will do the calculations for you.

Remember, oddly shaped rooms can be broken down into multiple sections. In case you've forgotten your high school geometry (who hasn't!), there are some formulas in the right column. We suggest adding 15% onto the area of a triangle or sector because of the additional waste of cutting on an angle or curve.

If a measurement includes inches, don't forget to convert them to a decimal before you multiply! There are 12 inches in a foot, so for example 3 inches becomes 3/12 = 1/4 = .25 feet.

Sample Floorplan

See below for an example of how you could measure an oddly shaped space.

Sample floorplan
Room Description Species/Grade Space # Width Length Square Footage
Living Room Select Maple 1 24 24 576
2 6 8 48
3 16 8 128
 
Subtotal 752
Waste Factor 75
TOTAL 824

Formulas

Feet & Inches

1 foot = 12 inches
1 inch = 1/12 feet ≈ .083 feet

Rectangle

Area = L • W
Rectangle with length L and width W

Triangle

Area* = W • H / 2
Triangle with width W and height H

Sector

Area* = π • R • R • A / 2
π ≈ 3.14159265 Sector with radius R and angle A


* We recommend adding 15% onto the actual area of triangles and sectors because of the additional waste of cutting on an angle