When you order a Steller Floor, you can plan for 2-3% overage, which is significantly less than industry standards.
Overage is the amount of flooring that you should order beyond what you need. In general, someone measuring with a laser measuring device will calculate the size of their rooms and round up to account for any errors. Then, once you know how much flooring you will actually need, you add some "overage."
Most flooring companies will ask you to order 10-15% overage for several reasons: (1) Fit and Trim, (2) Rejected due to quality and (3) Replacements for later.
When you need overage for Fit & Trim
Generally speaking most flooring planks available in the market today are asymmetrical. That means a cutting mistake could result in entire planks being thrown away. With a Steller Floor, planks are symmetrical, and so you can often salvage these planks.
In addition, dropping planks at the end of the room and ending up with "shorts" is an easy way to end up with a lot of leftovers when the job is done. We generally recommend using these short planks to start new rows so that the flooring gets used instead of thrown away.
From our perspective, Fit & Trim is the only reason you should order additional Steller Flooring for overage.
Why you should not ever reject Steller Floor planks due to Quality
Steller Floors are made to exceptional quality standards and we will replace any planks that have quality defects according to our terms & conditions. It is our business practice in principle to never send you planks that are intended for the garbage, even though other companies might not mind sending you their trash.
Should you order replacement planks for later with your initial order?
Ordering replacement planks that hang out for decades in a closet or basement is almost always a losing strategy. In our experience, these planks almost never get used, and if they do, you might find yourself throwing away your replacements with the rest of your floor. We do not endorse this strategy unless you expect to be replacing planks on a regular basis for a real, known reason (e.g. commercial use, or anticipating damage from pets).
Instead, here at Steller Floors, we keep our stain formulas on file and we are ready to make your replacement planks when you need them. If for some reason we have a backlog, and it takes a few weeks to get planks to you, we recommend moving planks from less visible areas of the room (under couches or in closets) to cover the area with missing planks, and then fit new planks in the hidden areas when they arrive.