The most expensive mistake in a stone job is running short. A second order a month later almost never matches the first, because it comes from a different block. Ordering the right amount, with sensible wastage, is a simple calculation.
Step 1: measure each area in feet
Stone in Pakistan is usually priced per square foot. For each room, measure length and width in feet, multiply, and add the rooms together. Split L-shaped rooms into rectangles. Measure to the wall, not to the skirting.
Example: a lounge 20 ft by 16 ft is 320 sq ft. A dining room 14 ft by 12 ft is 168 sq ft. Together, 488 sq ft.
Step 2: add the extras people forget
- Skirting: measure the running length of the walls in feet, subtract doorways, and multiply by the skirting height (usually 4 inches, so a third of a foot).
- Thresholds and door sills.
- Stair treads and risers: count the steps and measure one tread and one riser.
- Window sills.
Step 3: add wastage
Every cut loses stone, and some pieces break or have defects. Typical allowances:
- Straight-laid floor tiles in a simple room: about 5 to 8 percent.
- Diagonal or herringbone layouts, or many small rooms: 12 to 15 percent.
- Floors from slabs cut to size: depends on slab size versus room size; ask your supplier to lay it out.
- Kitchen counters: counters are cut from whole slabs, so you buy slabs, not square feet. A layout drawing on the slab dimensions shows how many slabs you need.
- Stairs with nosings: 10 to 15 percent.
- Book-matched walls: often more, because the vein pattern decides the cuts.
Step 4: keep a spare box
Beyond wastage, keep a few spare tiles or an offcut from the same lot after the job. If a tile cracks in five years, a matching replacement is in your store room. This is worth more than any guarantee.
Tell your supplier the layout pattern and how many rooms you have. A good supplier will work out the wastage with you rather than simply adding 10 percent to everything.
A worked example
Lounge and dining 488 sq ft, skirting 80 running ft at 4 inches (about 27 sq ft), straight layout: 515 sq ft plus 8 percent is roughly 556 sq ft. Order about 560 sq ft, and keep what is left over.
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