Guide · Takeoff
How to do a vinyl plank takeoff from plans
A vinyl plank takeoff is more than a floor area. Depending on the product, the order also needs underlay, adhesive, perimeter beading and trims, and each of them is measured differently. This guide works through a whole takeoff from a plan, in metric, with a note for square feet at the end.
Know which kind of vinyl plank you are quoting
Vinyl plank (often called LVP, luxury vinyl plank) comes in two broad kinds, and they change the takeoff:
- Floating, click together. Rigid core and many hybrid style products lock together and float over the subfloor. They need an expansion gap at the walls, which is covered by skirting or beading, and many need a trim where a run meets another floor or exceeds the manufacturer's maximum length. Some have an underlay attached; others need one laid first.
- Glue down, sometimes called dryback. Thinner planks glued to a prepared subfloor. They need adhesive, usually closer attention to floor preparation, and they follow different rules on expansion. They are common in commercial work and in apartments where floating floors are not allowed.
The selections sheet should name the range. If it only says vinyl plank, ask, because the materials list and often the rate differ.
1. Scope the rooms
Go through the plan and the selections together and mark every space as vinyl plank, another finish, or not yours. The usual traps are the same as for any hard floor: short passages that nobody names, robes, the pantry, and spaces where the plan marking and the selections disagree. The guide to quoting from builder plans covers this step in detail.
2. Measure the floor area
Use the printed dimension strings, not a scale ruler on a PDF. Split L shaped and open plan spaces into rectangles that add up to the whole, with no overlap. Then add the floor the rectangles miss:
- a strip across each doorway, commonly 10 cm deep;
- the floor that runs under the kitchen kickboard;
- fridge and dishwasher recesses.
The robes, recesses and kickboards guide shows how to measure those allowances.
3. Add waste and round up to packs
Add your waste percentage to the total area once, then divide by the pack coverage and round up. Vinyl plank is usually quoted with waste in the same range as other floating floors: around 5% for open plan homes and 7% to 10% for plans with many small rooms. Narrow planks and angled walls push it up. Rounding each room separately over-orders, as the hybrid flooring calculator shows with a worked example.
4. Measure the perimeter for beading
If the skirting stays in place, the expansion gap of a floating floor is usually covered with scotia or quad beading, which is bought in lengths and priced by the metre. The takeoff needs the perimeter of each vinyl plank room where the floor meets a wall:
- add up the wall lengths of each room;
- take off every doorway and sliding door, because the beading stops at the opening;
- take off walls behind kitchen cabinets, where the kickboard covers the edge;
- add an allowance for joins and mitred corners, then round up to whole lengths.
If new skirting is going in after the floor, the skirting covers the gap and no beading is needed. Say which one you have priced.
5. Count the trims
A trim is needed wherever vinyl plank meets another floor finish or stops at a door or a sliding door frame. Floating floors also need a trim where a run is longer than the manufacturer allows, which can catch long hallways that run into open living areas. List each opening and price trims per item or per metre, as in the trims and transitions guide.
6. Add underlay, moisture barrier or adhesive
- Underlay. Only for products without one attached, and only of a type the manufacturer allows. It is priced on the floor area, in rolls.
- Moisture barrier. Many manufacturers require a barrier over a concrete slab for floating floors. Check the installation guide for the product.
- Adhesive. For glue down planks, divide the floor area by the coverage stated on the adhesive's data sheet and round up to whole buckets.
A worked example
Example only
The rooms, pack size, coverages and lengths are made up to show the method. Use the figures from the product you are quoting.
A renovation plan has vinyl plank in the family room, kitchen, dining and hall. The kitchen is measured to the cabinet faces.
| Space | Size (m) | Area (m²) |
|---|---|---|
| Family | 5.4 × 4.2 | 22.68 |
| Kitchen | 3.9 × 3.0 | 11.70 |
| Dining | 3.6 × 3.3 | 11.88 |
| Hall | 6.0 × 1.0 | 6.00 |
| Rooms | 52.26 |
Doorway strips add 0.50 m² and the floor under 3.9 m of kickboard adds 0.39 m², so the floor to cover is 53.15 m².
| Item | Working | Order |
|---|---|---|
| Planks, 8% waste | 53.15 × 1.08 = 57.40 m², ÷ 2.16 m² packs = 26.57 | 27 packs (58.32 m²) |
| Perimeter | Walls 50.0 m, less five 820 doorways (4.1 m) and a 2.4 m sliding door | 43.5 m |
| Scotia, 10% for joins | 43.5 × 1.10 = 47.85 m, ÷ 2.4 m lengths = 19.94 | 20 lengths |
| Trims | Three openings where the floor changes | 3 trims |
| Underlay, if not attached | 53.15 m² ÷ 15 m² rolls = 3.54 | 4 rolls |
| Adhesive, glue down version | 53.15 m² ÷ 15 m² per bucket = 3.54 | 4 buckets |
The underlay and adhesive lines are alternatives: a floating click plank with an attached underlay needs neither, and a glue down plank needs adhesive but no underlay. Writing the materials as separate lines lets the builder see what the price includes, and makes the quote easy to adjust when the selection changes.
Things a plan does not tell you
A takeoff from plans fixes the quantities, not the site conditions. Slab moisture, floor levelness, door clearances and whether the old floor has to come up all affect the price and are only known on site. State what you have assumed, and make the price subject to a check measure before ordering. The takeoff versus measure-up guide explains how the two fit together.
Square feet and cartons
In the US and Canada, LVP is usually sold by the carton with the coverage in square feet, trims are often called transitions or reducers, and the perimeter beading is usually quarter round or shoe moulding. The method is the same. The 53.15 m² floor above is about 572 sq ft (1 m² is 10.764 sq ft), and a 2.16 m² pack is about 23.3 sq ft. Squaro reads plans dimensioned in millimetres or metres today; plans in feet and inches are on the roadmap.
How Squaro handles a vinyl plank takeoff
Squaro reads the working drawings and the selections, classifies each space, measures it from the printed dimensions and adds your doorway, kickboard and recess allowances. Your rules set the waste, pack size, spare pack, trims and extras, and every line shows the sheet and dimension it came from so you can check it. See flooring takeoff software.
Related reading
- Hybrid flooring calculator: how many packs do I need?A pack calculator with waste, stairs and a spare pack, and the method behind it.
- Flooring trims and transitions at doorwaysFinding every opening that needs a trim, and pricing trims per item or per metre.
- Flooring takeoff vs measure-upWhen to quote from plans, when to measure on site, and how to word the quote.
Quote your next plan set with Squaro
Squaro is open to a small group of flooring contractors first. Tell us how you quote and we will set up your rules with you and run your first plan.
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