Autolay

Autolay is a free flooring planner that runs in the browser. Instead of multiplying your square metres by a 5-15 % waste allowance, it places every plank or tile virtually, row by row, and counts what is really left over: full pieces, cut pieces, packs, waste percentage and cost.

Start from whatever you already have. Type the room dimensions, trace a photo or PDF of the floor plan, import a laser or photogrammetry scan, or pull the geometry straight out of an IFC building information model. Bays, angled walls, niches, doorways and several rooms in one project are all handled; nothing here assumes a rectangle.

Take the material from the catalogue or enter your own plank size, pack size and price, then pick the pattern: straight, offset bonds, diagonal or herringbone. The layout regenerates live on every change, and an advanced mode optimises either for the least material or for the fewest difficult cuts. Cut pieces are marked in the drawing, and the summary adds the ancillaries most calculators leave out: underlay, adhesive, grout and skirting.

When the plan is right, export it as PDF or CSV, share it by link, or hand a client-facing report to the customer. It works on a phone as well as on a desktop, in seven languages, in metric or imperial units, and in your own currency.

Autolay is free: no trial, no paywall, no card. A free account is only needed to upload your own floor plan and to save projects. The same company also builds a floor-laying robot, but the planner is a finished, free tool in its own right.