Can I get a Doggie Bag for my flooring leftovers?

Flooring jobs and construction jobs in general have a common situation that arises: How much do I need and how much should I have left over?

Often when materials are estimated to anticipate waste we have to use a rule of thumb. 5%-10% is a typical waste percentage for cuts and normal job allowances. The more complex a floor layout is the more waste one should anticipate. For example laying a floor at a 45 degree angle is one of the most complex layouts especially if you have alot of doorways. (Just ask Eric in IT- our new diagonal flooring installation expert.) This type of installation can be 15% or more waste.

Regardless of the estimates ideally you should still have some materials left over at the end. Although I have written on this topic in the past it is worth a recap.

You definitely want to have some materials left over at the end of the job because if there is ever a need for a repair especially after 12-18 months your chance of finding the material is almost zero percent. Because manufacturers change their product lines every so often consumers can get caught with a big surprise when they need just a little more flooring later on for repair or expansion of an existing space.

So the moral to my story is that if you retain at least 1 or 2 cartons especially if they are unopened and easy to store it can pay off well for you. So after your flooring job be sure to have the extra materials left for you to store and be prepared.(this is my attempt to tie in the Doggie Bag theme. I realize now that it may have fallen short.)