How much contact paper do I need: rolls and cutting layout

How much contact paper do I need: the cutting layout

Count rolls by laying the pieces out on the roll, because the roll width is fixed and the strip left beside a piece is only useful if another piece fits in it. The calculator works in four steps.

1. Cut size. Width and height of the piece plus the margin on each side. Con-Tact asks for 3/8 in extra on all edges to allow for shrinkage. To wrap the edges of a cabinet door you need more (d-c-fix suggests cutting the film a few centimetres larger), so the calculator starts at 1 in per side.
2. Direction. With wood grain or a pattern, the height of each piece runs along the roll and no piece is turned, so the grain matches on every door. With a plain color the calculator also tries turning the pieces and keeps the layout that uses the least roll.
3. Bands. Pieces go side by side across the roll, longest first; when the next one no longer fits, a new band starts. The bands add up to the length of roll used (running feet).
4. Rolls. A band can't be split between two rolls, so the calculator fits the bands into rolls and counts them.

A piece wider than the roll is cut into strips that overlap by 3/8 in, close to the 10 mm d-c-fix gives for joining two pieces. A piece longer than the roll can't be cut at all: the receipt says so and asks for a longer roll.

A worked example

In inches and feet (US). The calculator opens with 4 cabinet doors of 15 × 30 in and 2 of 12 × 30 in, wood grain contact paper, a 1 in margin and a Con-Tact roll of 18 in × 9 ft.

• Cut sizes: 17 × 32 in and 14 × 32 in
• Across the roll, 17 + 14 = 31 in won't fit in 18 in: one piece per band
• Length used: 6 bands of 32 in = 192 in, which is 16 ft
• Bands per roll: 3 (96 in of the 108 in roll)
• Rolls: 6 ÷ 3 = 2 rolls of 18 in × 9 ft, plus a squeegee

The same doors fit in a single 18 in × 16 ft roll, which is exactly 192 in long.

In metres (UK). 4 doors of 60 × 70 cm and 2 of 40 × 70 cm, wood-effect sticky-back plastic, 2 cm margin, roll 67.5 cm × 2 m.

• Cut sizes: 64 × 74 cm and 44 × 74 cm, one per band (64 + 44 = 108 cm)
• Length used: 6 × 0.74 m = 4.44 m, two bands per 2 m roll
• Rolls: 3 rolls, or 4.44 m from a 15 m roll

Contact paper for kitchen cabinets: chart

Cabinet doors of 15 × 30 in, 1 in margin, wood grain, 18 in wide rolls. The numbers come from the calculator.

Doors	9 ft rolls	Length used	16 ft rolls
2	1	5.33 ft	1
4	2	10.67 ft	1
6	2	16 ft	1
8	3	21.33 ft	2
10	4	26.67 ft	2
12	4	32 ft	2

Each 9 ft roll takes three of these doors, with 12 in left over. The 16 ft roll takes six, with nothing left.

Roll sizes, margins and tools

Con-Tact sells its self-adhesive Creative Covering in 18 in × 9 ft and 18 in × 16 ft rolls. In Europe d-c-fix sells most decorative film in 2 m and 15 m rolls, 45, 67.5 or 90 cm wide. Read the size on the label and enter it in the calculator.

• Doors and drawers. The 1 in margin wraps the film over the edge and leaves some to trim on the back.
• Window panes. d-c-fix asks for a 2 mm gap to the silicone seal of the frame. Measure the visible glass, take 4 mm (about 5/32 in) off the width and the height, and set the margin to 0.
• Countertops. d-c-fix says its standard film is not suitable for kitchen worktops, because of food contact and heat near the stove.
• Squeegee. Con-Tact suggests pressing the liner out from the center with a squeegee, a straight edge or a cloth. Untick the box if you already have one.

The backing paper is printed with a measuring grid; Con-Tact marks it in 1/2 in steps.

Common mistakes

• Dividing square feet by the roll. Twelve 15 × 30 in doors cover 37.5 sq ft and a 9 ft roll has 13.5 sq ft, so the division says 3 rolls. The layout needs 4.
• Turning wood grain film. A turned door has the grain running across. Check which way the pattern runs on your roll: if it runs across, or if a drawer front needs horizontal grain, swap width and height for that piece.
• Buying a roll that is too narrow. An 18 in door with 1 in per side needs 20 in, so on an 18 in roll it takes two strips and a visible seam.
• Cutting without a margin. The edge of the door stays bare and a crooked cut can't be fixed.
• Ignoring the roll length. A pantry door taller than about 8 ft 10 in, margins included, won't come out of a 9 ft roll with the grain running up the door.