Overage also known as Waste

When you plan a construction job of any kind you are inevitably going to need to talk about a so called “waste factor.”

To a guy like myself that tries to be thrifty with my money the very idea of paying money for waste seems crazy.

However, in the context of flooring waste is unavoidable and absolutely something you should plan for.

Overage/Waste is primarily the result of cuts which may or may not be usable elsewhere in the room.

Another key aspect to a waste factor is that some boards may not pass your own visual inspection. This is considered normal depending on the percentage of waste compared the grade of material you ordered. (the lower the grade the more the waste.)

Other factors that should be considered in this context include the availability of future materials to make a repair or change in the flooring.

I can not tell you how often someone needs an extra carton (or two) that would make their life so much easier, but they returned the extra material or didn’t buy enough to begin with. This is such a shame and totally avoidable.

So figuring in waste is not wasteful it is part of the process and something a wise planner considers ahead of time. Anyway from 5-10% waste is a normal range and you should be sure to have some extra materials at the end of your job in case of a future repair need. You can thank me later on that one!