Sheet vinyl calculator
Work out the cut length for one unjoined sheet of vinyl in a rectangular room, from a 2, 3 or 4 m roll.
How the number is worked out, a worked example and questions
How the number is worked out
- Measure the longest length and widest width. Include door recesses and alcoves the sheet must cover.
- Add the trimming allowance. The quick estimate adds 10 cm to each measurement, to trim to the skirting. Change it to the figure you are using.
- Check the roll width and direction. Sheet vinyl is sold in 2, 3 and 4 m widths; one planned room dimension must fit across the roll you choose.
- Round the cut length up. The cut-length step the roll is sold in is visible and editable.
This covers one rectangular room in one unjoined sheet. It refuses a room that needs a join rather than estimating one from floor area; a join, its pattern match and its seal are a fitter's plan. It is the same sum as the carpet calculator, without the underlay.
A worked example
A kitchen 3.6 m by 2.8 m with one door, with 10 cm added to each measurement. These are 3 m and 4 m example roll widths, with cuts sold in 0.1 m steps. These are generic example figures, not a product or a fitting plan.
| Working | 3 m roll | 4 m roll |
|---|---|---|
| Floor area | 10.08 m² | 10.08 m² |
| Full piece area | 11.1 m² | 11.6 m² |
| Area outside the measured floor | 1.02 m² | 1.52 m² |
| Cut length | 3.7 m | 2.9 m |
The 3 m roll runs along the room and the 4 m roll across it. The smaller piece is from the 3 m roll here; a pattern that must run one way can decide it the other way.
Mistakes that cost a cut
- Using floor area alone. A sheet comes from a fixed-width roll, so the two room dimensions matter.
- Cutting it cold. The makers ask for the roll to lie in the room a day first, so it relaxes before it is cut to the walls.
- Guessing a join. A room wider than the roll both ways needs two pieces, a pattern match and a sealed seam: a fitter's plan.
- Laying it on a rough floor. A sheet shows every bump and gap under it; the floor is levelled first.
- Leaving the fixing until last. Whether a sheet is loose laid, taped round the edge or glued down depends on its size and the maker's instructions.
Questions
Which roll width should I choose?
The one the room fits across with the least left over, unless the pattern must run one way. The calculator shows the cut for the width you enter; try 2, 3 and 4 m and compare the full piece area.
Does it plan a join?
No. If neither direction fits across the roll, it refuses the estimate and says a fitter should plan the cut.
Does sheet vinyl need underlay?
Not as carpet does, so the calculator counts none. What it needs is a dry, clean, flat floor, and the fixing the maker's guide gives for its size.
Tape, glue or neither?
The calculator leaves it as a line to check and quotes one maker's guide: loose laid under 12 m², taped round the edges from 12 to 25 m², glued over 25 m². Your sheet's own instructions decide.
Can I use it for vinyl planks or tiles?
No: those are packs by area, which the flooring calculator counts as "Vinyl or LVT planks".