Tile Calculator & Layout Planner

Basic square-footage math just divides the room area by the tile size. It completely ignores grout joints, layout alignment, and unusable offcuts. A visual layout grid shows you exactly where your perimeter cuts will land before you mix a single bucket of thinset. It lets you center your layout, avoid fragile edge slivers, and gives you an exact box count based on real cuts, not just geometry.

Yes. Even a tight 1/16" grout joint on a rectified tile adds up over the span of a room. Cumulative grout joints can push your layout out by several inches, which frequently drops your final tile count by 2% to 5%. Factoring in your exact grout joint width ensures your perimeter cut list is dead-on accurate when you start snapping chalk lines.

For a standard room with a straight grid, add a 10% waste buffer. If you're running a staggered brick pattern, large-format planks, or herringbone, bump that to 15% or 20%. This covers perimeter cuts you can't reuse, accidental breakage on the wet saw, and leaves you with enough attic stock from the exact same dye lot in case of future repairs.

Thin slivers usually happen when a layout starts with a full tile jammed tight against one wall, pushing all the awkward math to the opposite side. To prevent fragile edge pieces, you always center your layout or shift your starting chalk line by half a tile. This balances your perimeter cuts on both sides so they measure at least half a tile wide. A visual grid lets you nudge that alignment and check your cuts before you commit.

Subtract large, permanent fixtures like kitchen islands, built-in tubs, and fixed cabinets. You won't lay tile under them. But never subtract small penetrations like radiator pipes, plumbing stubs, or floor drains. Trimming a tile to wrap around a pipe or a tight corner usually ruins the rest of that specific tile, meaning you still consume a full tile for that spot regardless of the cutout.