Question 1

How do I estimate flooring from a PDF floor plan?

Accepted Answer

Set the scale, then trace each room. Calibrate with Manual Scale off a dimension you trust, such as a long wall, because the takeoff is only as accurate as that calibration. If the customer's PDF was shrunk to 11 x 17, the printed scale is wrong, so calibrate instead of trusting the title block. MetreMate gives you square feet per room; you add waste and round to cartons.

Question 2

How much waste should I add for LVP, laminate or hardwood?

Accepted Answer

Typically 5 to 10 percent for planks laid straight and 15 percent or more for diagonal or herringbone. MetreMate gives you the square feet, then you multiply by 1.05 to 1.10 for a straight lay or by at least 1.15 for diagonal. Go toward the high end in small, cut-up rooms, and check the manufacturer's install guide for the product.

Question 3

How do I convert square feet to cartons?

Accepted Answer

Divide by the carton coverage and round up. Take the room square footage from MetreMate, add your waste, then divide by the square feet per carton printed on the box. For a straight lay at 10 percent waste, that is square feet x 1.10, divided by the carton coverage, rounded up to whole cartons. Never split a carton on the quote.

Question 4

How do I measure baseboard and quarter round?

Accepted Answer

Run the Perimeter tool around each room. MetreMate gives you linear feet of wall, then you subtract door openings and cabinet runs and add your cut allowance. Quarter round usually follows the same line as the baseboard, so one perimeter takeoff covers both. Use the Count tool for transitions at doorways so they make it onto the first quote.

Question 5

Can I separate products by room on one plan?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Put each product on its own layer, for example LVP in the kitchen and baths, carpet in the bedrooms and hardwood in the living room. Each layer keeps its own areas and totals, so you quote each product separately from one plan. Fill colors make the layout easy for the customer to read when you print or export it.

Question 6

Is there a free plan?

Accepted Answer

Yes. MetreMate has a free plan with no credit card to start, plus a 7-day trial of the paid tools. It runs in any modern browser on a Windows or Mac computer, so there is nothing to install at the counter. Upload the customer's PDF, set the scale and start tracing rooms. Pro and Team plans are there when you need more.

LVP, laminate, hardwood and tile quantities from the plan

The slow way, or the smart way

Everything you can measure off the plan

Lengths in linear feet

Areas in sq ft

Perimeters

Counts

How flooring retailers use MetreMate

Room areas by product

Waste and cartons

Base, quarter round and transitions

More than measuring

Auto Scale

Manual Scaling

Auto Snap

Layers Manager

Print & Share

Project Organizer

Questions flooring retailers ask

MetreMate works for every supplier

Ready to quote faster, flooring retailers?