How much flooring do I need for 500 sq ft?

Data checked October 2026

Short answer

500 sq ft of vinyl plank takes 28 boxes of LifeProof (20.06 sq ft each) — 550 sq ft with 10% waste.

Same area: 29 cartons of Pergo Outlast+ 7.48 in laminate (10% waste), 27 cartons of HDC 5 in click-lock engineered hardwood (5% waste), 24 cartons of Bruce 3-1/4 in solid hardwood (5% waste).
Materials run about $1,679 for LifeProof at $59.97 a box; installed at $3.50/sq ft labor, about $3,429.
Removing old flooring adds roughly $500–$1,000 at $1–$2 per sq ft (This Old House, 2026).
A whole floor crosses doorways: plan one 94 in T-molding or reducer for every two 32–36 in openings, and quarter round along every wall where the baseboard stays.
At this size most layouts stay well under LifeProof's 100 ft and Pergo's 50 ft limits for unbroken runs.

Adjust it to your exact job

What are you installing?

Flooring

Product

Some 12 mil 8.7 × 48 in SKUs pack 20.02 sq ft — check the number on your carton.

Size

Measure by

Floor area

sq ft

Wall length

For quarter round; optional.

Layout

Pattern

Room shape

You need

28boxes · LifeProof 8.7 × 48 in

550 sq ft including 10% waste · the boxes cover 561.7 sq ft, leaving 11.7 sq ft spare · $1,679 at $59.97 a box

Floor area: 500sq ftbefore waste
Order incl. waste: 550sq ft10% extra
Per box: 20.06sq ft$59.97 a box
Real cost per sq ft: $3.36whole boxes ÷ floor area

Why 10% extra

10% for a straight layout — what LifeProof and Floor & Decor recommend.

Same floor, other vinyl plank lines

Boxes for 550 sq ft by product
Product	Sq ft/box	Boxes	Cost
LifeProof 8.7 × 48 in	20.06	28	$1,679
LifeProof 8.7 × 59 in	25	22	$1,639
LifeProof 7 × 48 in	19	29	$1,642
NuCore Cedar Point 7 × 48 in	23.66	24	$1,414
NuCore Everwood Falls 7 × 48 in	19.02	29	$1,373
NuCore Gunstock Oak 7.5 × 48 in	22.97	24	$1,648
NuCore Turner Road 7 × 60 in	23.96	23	$1,113
COREtec Originals 7 × 72 in	21.27	26	$6,465
COREtec Plus 7 × 48 in	38.03	15	$3,588
Shaw Paragon 7" Plus	18.91	30	$3,285
SMARTCORE Pro 7 × 48 in	16.54	34	$1,676*

* no verified price for that SKU; typical vinyl plank price used.

No separate underlayment

The pad is attached. LifeProof approves only its own Universal Underlayment as an extra layer — anything else needs the manufacturer's OK.

Before you install

Expansion gap at walls: 1/4 in · quarter round covers it
Acclimation: Not required if the cartons were stored properly — let them adjust after extreme heat or cold.
Subfloor flatness: 1/4 in in 10 ft; slope no more than 1 in per 6 ft

Source: LifeProof install guide (May 2023).

Shopping list

28 boxes LifeProof rigid-core vinyl plank 8.7 × 47.6 in (6/22/30 mil)20.06 sq ft per box · check that every carton has the same dye lot$1,679

Estimated total$1,679

Cost estimate

Tap a price to use your store's

LifeProof 8.7 × 48 in
28 boxes × $Home Depot, cached 2026 ($2.98/sq ft)
$1,679

Materials total$1,679

Box prices: Floor & Decor live and Home Depot/dealer listings (some cached), October 2026. Tap any price to enter your store's.

Hiring a pro? Installed cost

Labor per sq ft

Tear out old floor

Installation labor
500 sq ft × $3.50
$1,750

Materials: $1,679
Labor & extras: $1,750
Installed total: $3,429

Labor: $3–$10 (This Old House, June 2026). Removal: about $1–$2 per sq ft (This Old House, 2026). Stairs, furniture moving and leveling are quoted separately.

Did this answer your question?

Compare

500 sq ft by flooring type

Type	Product	Waste	Boxes	Materials	Installed
vinyl plank	LifeProof 8.7 × 48 in	10%	28	$1,679	$3,429
laminate	Pergo Outlast+ 7.48 in	10%	29	$1,531	$3,281
engineered hardwood	HDC 5 in click-lock	5%	27	$1,833	$4,583
solid hardwood	Bruce 3-1/4 in	5%	24	$2,965	$5,715

How this was worked out

500 × 1.10 = 550 sq ft for vinyl or laminate; hardwood needs only 5% (Bruce's cutting and grading allowance), so 525 sq ft.

Measure each room separately in the calculator above: closets and halls change the waste, and per-room measurements give the quarter round and transition counts this area-only estimate can't.

The full method, material data and tips are on the main flooring calculator page.

Similar jobs

Other sizes people check

Sources

Data behind this answer

LifeProof Plank & Tile Installation Instructions (May 1, 2023) — order ~10% extra; 1/4 in gap; no acclimation; T-molding past 100 ft; stairs void the warranty; only LifeProof underlayment · checked October 2026
LifeProof Chevron & Herringbone Installation Instructions (Sept 25, 2023) — order 15–20% extra; only the dedicated herringbone planks may be laid in herringbone · checked October 2026
Pergo Outlast+ installation instructions (Aug 2024) and Pergo Pro (Jan 2026) — 3/8 in gap; T-molding in rooms ≥ 50 ft and doorways < 32 in; 6 mil poly with 8 in overlaps on concrete; 48 h acclimation · checked October 2026
Pergo Outlast+ Installation Essentials (rev. 2018, legacy) — 10% standard and 15% diagonal overage (not repeated in the 2024 sheet) · checked October 2026
COREtec WPC 5G installation guidelines (Shaw, rev. Sept 30, 2026) — 1/4 in gap under 2,500 sq ft, 1/2 in above; no acclimation; 8 lb / 90% RH; no plastic over wood subfloors · checked October 2026
Bruce 3/4 in Solid Hardwood Installation Instructions (AHF, 2021) — 5% cutting and grading allowance (10% diagonal); 3/4 in expansion; moisture-content acclimation · checked October 2026
Bruce Engineered Hardwood Installation Instructions (AHF, 2023) — 5% / 10% diagonal; 1/4 in gap fastened, 1/2 in floating; acclimation not necessary · checked October 2026
Floor & Decor NuCore product pages (live) — box prices and plank sizes, e.g. Cedar Point $58.91 per 23.66 sq ft box · checked October 2026
Home Depot product titles via the Arbor (superarbor.io) mirror — carton sizes: LifeProof 20.06 / 25.0 / 19.0, Pergo 19.63 / 16.12, TrafficMaster 23.91 / 15.94, Bruce 20 / 22 / 23.5; trim medians · checked October 2026
COREtec Originals product page — 21.27 sq ft per carton; $11.69/sq ft manufacturer estimate · checked October 2026
Dealer listings: Floorzz (COREtec Plus), Floor City (Shaw Paragon), Flooring Inc (RevWood Plus) — Shaw Paragon 7" Plus 18.91 sq ft, attached pad, $109.49; COREtec Plus 38.03 sq ft, $239.21; RevWood Elderwood 16.93 sq ft, $69.24 · checked October 2026
Floor & Decor underlayment and molding pages (live) — EZ Foam 100 sq ft $40.49; 15 lb felt 432 sq ft $32.97; 94 in quarter round $3.35 · checked October 2026
Home Depot trim listings (cached 2026) and Lowe's hardwood T-moulding sheet — vinyl/laminate trims 94 in (T-molding ~$34.98, reducer ~$42.78, stair nose ~$59.98); hardwood T-moulding 78 in · checked October 2026
This Old House — cost to install vinyl plank flooring (June 2026) — labor $3–$10 per sq ft; removal about $1–$2 per sq ft · checked October 2026
This Old House — hardwood flooring cost (June 2026) — hardwood labor $3–$8 per sq ft · checked October 2026
This Old House — laminate installation cost (Apr 2026); RealCostIQ (Sep 2026) — laminate labor $4–$8 per sq ft (This Old House); $1–$2 floating (RealCostIQ) · checked October 2026
Fixr — hardwood floor installation cost (Jan 2025) — new hardwood stair treads $100–$200 per step installed · checked October 2026

Short answer

500 sq ft of vinyl plank takes 28 boxes of LifeProof (20.06 sq ft each) — 550 sq ft with 10% waste.

Same area: 29 cartons of Pergo Outlast+ 7.48 in laminate (10% waste), 27 cartons of HDC 5 in click-lock engineered hardwood (5% waste), 24 cartons of Bruce 3-1/4 in solid hardwood (5% waste).

Materials run about $1,679 for LifeProof at $59.97 a box; installed at $3.50/sq ft labor, about $3,429.

Removing old flooring adds roughly $500–$1,000 at $1–$2 per sq ft (This Old House, 2026).

A whole floor crosses doorways: plan one 94 in T-molding or reducer for every two 32–36 in openings, and quarter round along every wall where the baseboard stays.

At this size most layouts stay well under LifeProof's 100 ft and Pergo's 50 ft limits for unbroken runs.

Adjust it to your exact job

What are you installing?

Flooring

Product

Some 12 mil 8.7 × 48 in SKUs pack 20.02 sq ft — check the number on your carton.

Size

Measure by

Floor area

sq ft

Wall length

For quarter round; optional.

Layout

Pattern

Room shape

You need

28boxes · LifeProof 8.7 × 48 in

550 sq ft including 10% waste · the boxes cover 561.7 sq ft, leaving 11.7 sq ft spare · $1,679 at $59.97 a box

Floor area: 500sq ftbefore waste
Order incl. waste: 550sq ft10% extra
Per box: 20.06sq ft$59.97 a box
Real cost per sq ft: $3.36whole boxes ÷ floor area

Why 10% extra

10% for a straight layout — what LifeProof and Floor & Decor recommend.

Same floor, other vinyl plank lines

Boxes for 550 sq ft by product
Product	Sq ft/box	Boxes	Cost
LifeProof 8.7 × 48 in	20.06	28	$1,679
LifeProof 8.7 × 59 in	25	22	$1,639
LifeProof 7 × 48 in	19	29	$1,642
NuCore Cedar Point 7 × 48 in	23.66	24	$1,414
NuCore Everwood Falls 7 × 48 in	19.02	29	$1,373
NuCore Gunstock Oak 7.5 × 48 in	22.97	24	$1,648
NuCore Turner Road 7 × 60 in	23.96	23	$1,113
COREtec Originals 7 × 72 in	21.27	26	$6,465
COREtec Plus 7 × 48 in	38.03	15	$3,588
Shaw Paragon 7" Plus	18.91	30	$3,285
SMARTCORE Pro 7 × 48 in	16.54	34	$1,676*

* no verified price for that SKU; typical vinyl plank price used.

No separate underlayment

The pad is attached. LifeProof approves only its own Universal Underlayment as an extra layer — anything else needs the manufacturer's OK.

Before you install

Expansion gap at walls: 1/4 in · quarter round covers it
Acclimation: Not required if the cartons were stored properly — let them adjust after extreme heat or cold.
Subfloor flatness: 1/4 in in 10 ft; slope no more than 1 in per 6 ft

Source: LifeProof install guide (May 2023).

Shopping list

28 boxes LifeProof rigid-core vinyl plank 8.7 × 47.6 in (6/22/30 mil)20.06 sq ft per box · check that every carton has the same dye lot$1,679

Estimated total$1,679

Cost estimate

Tap a price to use your store's

LifeProof 8.7 × 48 in
28 boxes × $Home Depot, cached 2026 ($2.98/sq ft)
$1,679

Materials total$1,679

Box prices: Floor & Decor live and Home Depot/dealer listings (some cached), October 2026. Tap any price to enter your store's.

Hiring a pro? Installed cost

Labor per sq ft

Tear out old floor

Installation labor
500 sq ft × $3.50
$1,750

Materials: $1,679
Labor & extras: $1,750
Installed total: $3,429

Labor: $3–$10 (This Old House, June 2026). Removal: about $1–$2 per sq ft (This Old House, 2026). Stairs, furniture moving and leveling are quoted separately.

Type

Product

Waste

Boxes

Materials

Installed

vinyl plank

LifeProof 8.7 × 48 in

10%

$1,679

$3,429

laminate

Pergo Outlast+ 7.48 in

10%

$1,531

$3,281

engineered hardwood

HDC 5 in click-lock

$1,833

$4,583

solid hardwood

Bruce 3-1/4 in

$2,965

$5,715

How this was worked out

500 × 1.10 = 550 sq ft for vinyl or laminate; hardwood needs only 5% (Bruce's cutting and grading allowance), so 525 sq ft.

Measure each room separately in the calculator above: closets and halls change the waste, and per-room measurements give the quarter round and transition counts this area-only estimate can't.

The full method, material data and tips are on the main flooring calculator page.