Measuring a room for new flooring is the one step that determines whether you order too much and waste money, or too little and face delays mid-installation. In the GTA, where material costs, delivery fees, and contractor time all add up, getting this right the first time matters. Here is how professionals do it — and what you need to know before you buy.
How do you measure a room for flooring in square feet or square metres?
For most GTA rooms, the calculation is straightforward: multiply the length by the width. A rectangular living room that is 15 feet long and 12 feet wide is 180 square feet. At Top Floorings Depot, our hardwood and laminate flooring is sold by the square foot — so that 180 sq ft becomes your base order number.
Always measure in feet and inches, not metres. GTA flooring is priced and sold in imperial measurements, and converting between systems introduces rounding errors that compound across a full house. If your room is described in metres — many newer Mississauga and Markham homes use metric — convert by multiplying square metres by 10.764 to get square feet.
Measure each room individually. Do not estimate based on the overall square footage of your home. Hallways, closets, and pantries all need flooring too, and they are easy to forget when you are eyeballing a room.
How much extra flooring should you order for waste and cuts?
Every professional flooring installer orders more material than the exact room dimensions. The reason is simple: cuts produce waste. When you lay planks or tiles across a room, you are trimming edges, working around corners, and matching patterns. Nothing fits perfectly end-to-end every time.
The standard waste allowance in the GTA is:
- 10% extra for standard rectangular rooms with few cut-ins
- 15% extra for rooms with more corners, nooks, or a L-shaped layout
- 20% extra for complex layouts, diagonal installations, or rooms with multiple diagonal walls
That 10% is not padding — it is real material that gets cut off and discarded. A 180 sq ft room needs 198 sq ft of flooring ordered. A 500 sq ft open-concept main floor with a kitchen island, breakfast nook, and entryway might need 575 sq ft or more.
Ontario building code does not mandate a specific waste allowance for residential flooring, but GTA flooring contractors build this into every quote for good reason. If you are hiring a pro, ask them what their order quantity will be before they place it — it should be higher than your room measurement.
How do you measure an irregularly shaped room for flooring?
Break it into rectangles. An L-shaped living room is really two rectangles added together. Measure each section separately, then add the square footage. A living room that is 15 feet by 12 feet (180 sq ft) with an attached hallway 6 feet by 4 feet (24 sq ft) totals 204 sq ft before waste.
For U-shaped rooms, the same principle applies: divide the space into three or more rectangles, calculate each, and sum them. Circular or curved sections are harder — if you have a bay window or rounded alcove, estimate it as a rectangle and add extra waste to compensate. A rough estimate is better than leaving that section out entirely.
Bay windows and chimney breasts that protrude into a room reduce the flooring area needed, but they also increase the number of cuts. Do not subtract small protrusions under 1 or 2 square feet — the waste from cutting around them cancels out the savings.
What about multiple rooms in a whole-home renovation?
When you are flooring an entire level — a basement suite in Scarborough or a second floor in Brampton — measure every room separately and apply the waste calculation to each room individually. Do not average the waste across all rooms. A bathroom might only need 5 sq ft of extra material, while a large L-shaped primary bedroom might need 25 sq ft extra. Each room is its own mini-project.
Once you have all your individual room totals, add them together. This gives you the total square footage to order for that level. If you are mixing flooring types — hardwood in the living room, laminate in the bedrooms — you will need to calculate each material separately.
Our Top Picks at Top Floorings Depot
Once you have your square footage calculated, come to our showroom at 3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto to see these options in person:
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Appalachian Natural Red Oak — 4¼" Excel Grade (SKU: 4-1-4 Natural Red Oak Excel)
Canadian-made solid hardwood in a warm honey tone. 4¼" wide plank, ¾" thick. $5.39/sqft. Ideal for living rooms, dining rooms, and hallways in Scarborough, North York, and Markham homes. -
Appalachian Earth Hard Maple — 4¼" Prestige Grade (SKU: 4-1-4 Earth Hard Maple Prestige)
Dense Canadian maple with rich undertones. 4¼" wide, ¾" thick, random length. $5.69/sqft. Excellent for family rooms and high-traffic areas. Hard Maple ranks among the most durable domestic hardwood species available in the GTA. -
Top Floorings European Oak White Sand — 6½" Wide Plank, 2mm Wear Layer
Wire-brushed character grade engineered hardwood in a light, coastal tone. 6½" wide, ¾" total thickness. $3.69/sqft. Suitable for concrete subfloors in Toronto condos and basements in Mississauga and Brampton homes.
Visit Top Floorings Depot
Bring your room measurements and waste calculation to our showroom at 3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5. We carry over 180 flooring products in stock — most available for same-day pickup. Our team can help you confirm your quantities, suggest the right waste allowance for your room layout, and connect you with professional installation if you need it.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117 | Text: 416-770-8819
Showroom Hours: Monday–Friday 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM | Saturday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Sunday Closed
We serve homeowners and contractors across Toronto, Scarborough, Mississauga, Brampton, North York, Markham, Richmond Hill, and Vaughan. GTA-wide delivery available.
Have you measured your room? Tag us on Instagram @topflooringsdepotgta or leave us a review on Google — we love seeing your finished projects.