How to calculate the required amount of tiles for any room. Using an online calculator, by area, by rows or by laying pattern. Tips and recommendations
Before buying tiles, you need to immediately tune in that, regardless of the calculation method, the material is always purchased with a reserve of 5-10%. This covers the costs of cutting and laying in some ways, as well as unforeseen breakdowns during the work and replacement of broken or cracked elements in the future.
It is more convenient to immediately buy material with a reserve than to waste time later searching for the right tile, which, with the same manufacturer and collection, may be of a different shade or caliber, which is due to differences in batches.
To ensure that the stock is not too large and the material costs are reasonable, you need to know how to calculate the amount of tiles . This will allow you to save money, reduce waste and avoid a shortage of finishing material during the work, which is important for meeting the deadlines.
What are the methods for calculating the number of tiles?
In general, there are 2 ways to calculate the number of tiles per square meter :
- Using an online calculator. A quick and easy, but not very accurate method that does not take into account the installation method and other important factors that affect the result.
- Without a calculator: based on the tile layout scheme or the area of the room. Calculations are made manually, taking into account the layout method, tile color, presence or absence of decor, the need to adjust the pattern. Independent calculation gives more accurate results, helps to save, which is especially important when buying expensive elite ceramics.
Method of calculation using a calculator
Many online tile and building materials stores have online calculators for calculating the required amount of tiles. It is easy to find such a calculator by entering the appropriate query in the browser search bar. The initial data may vary. Most often, the following is required for the calculation:
- length and width of the room;
- dimensions of the selected tile;
- planned width of the joint between tiles;
- location (floor or walls) and installation method (taken into account in some calculators).
An example of one of the online calculators for calculating the number of tiles
Depending on the functionality, the online calculator can even calculate the total cost of all the material. To do this, enter the price of the selected tile per square meter in the appropriate field. Having specified the initial data, it remains to click the “Calculate” button, and the online calculator will give the result for your room.
Calculating tiles without a calculator
To start calculating, you need to know the dimensions of the tiles, choose a laying pattern and consider whether there is a pattern on the tiles themselves. When using a collection of tiles with decor, it is better to make a layout: draw the floor or walls on paper to scale (depending on where you plan to lay the tiles), indicate the dimensions and lay out the basic elements with decor, count them and add a reserve of 5-10%.
Advice from our expert
Based on the laying scheme, you can very accurately calculate the required number of tiles for any selected pattern. Moreover, the scheme makes it easy to determine the number of not only whole tiles, but also those that will have to be cut for laying according to the scheme.
If we are talking about tiles without decoration, laid according to the classic pattern parallel to the walls, then to calculate the required quantity you just need to divide the area of the surface being finished (floor or walls) by the area of one tile that you plan to buy.
Please note! The classic method of laying is the most economical and simple. It is what experts recommend to beginners in the field of repair.
For example, let’s take a room 3.5 m wide and 2.5 m long, as well as 42×42 cm floor tiles. The procedure for calculating the required amount of material is as follows:
- We calculate the floor area: 3.5×2.5 = 8.75 m2 .
- We calculate the area of one tile element – 42×42 = 1764 cm 2 = 0.1764 m 2 .
- We determine the total number of tiles for finishing – 8.75/0.1764 = 49.6 pcs. For convenience, we round this number to 50 pcs.
- Add a stock of 5-10% – 50×1.05 = 58 pcs.
Important! Having decided to calculate the number of tiles by area , you can take a simpler route. Wall and floor tiles are sold in packs, and the price tag usually indicates the number of square meters in one pack with the cost of 1 m 2 . Taking this into account, you can immediately divide the area of the surface being finished (floor or walls) by the total area of tiles in one pack. For example, one pack contains 1.33 m 2 , then for the floor of a room measuring 3.5 × 2.5 m you will need 8.75 / 1.33 = 6.57 packs, or 7 packs after rounding up.
Calculation method depending on the type of installation and the number of rows
Any laying method other than the basic one increases the consumption of tiles. The calculation of the quantity is carried out according to the same principles: you can also use the method with the laying scheme or the method with the area. The most accurate calculations are obtained based on the tile layout scheme, since the place for each element is already clearly defined on it.
A simpler way to calculate is by area. The procedure is simple: determine the area of the surface to be finished and divide it by the area of one tile. To the resulting value, you need to add a reserve, the size of which depends on the type of installation. With a diagonal pattern and herringbone installation, a reserve of at least 10-15% is added.
How to calculate the quantity for other installation methods:
Chessboard layout
It consists in alternating tiles of different colors but the same size when laying. Here, for calculation, the area of the surface to be finished is divided by the area of one element, and then in half. As a result, we get how many tiles of each of both colors are needed. But it is important not to forget to add a reserve of 5-10%.
Chessboard laying at an angle
Chessboard laying at an angle. The calculation is similar to the previous method, only the reserve should be larger – 10-15%.
Laying tiles with offset
The essence of the method is to alternate regular tiles laid with an offset and decorative inserts. In a small room, on average, there is one decorative element for each basic element, and in a more spacious room, the decor makes up 95% of the basic tiles. For example, you calculated by the area that you will need 50 basic tiles. Then you need 50×0.95 = 48 decor pieces. You can do it differently: divide the area of the surface to be finished by the sum of the areas of the base tiles and decor. Then you will get a more accurate value. The main thing in both cases is not to forget to add a 5-10% reserve.
By number of rows
In addition to area calculation, there is a method of calculation by rows. The procedure is as follows:
- Measure the length and width of the room. For example, 3.5×2.5 m.
- Take the dimensions of the selected tile, also in meters. For example, 0.42×0.42 m.
- Divide the length of the room by the length of the tile. We get 3.5/0.42 = 8.3 rows.
- Calculate how many tiles are in one row by dividing the width of the room by the width of the tile. We get 2.5/0.42 = 6 pcs.
- Multiply the resulting number of rows by the number of tiles in one row and add a reserve of 5-10%. We get 8.3×6×1.05 = 53 pcs.
How to determine how many tiles are needed for the floor and walls
All the given calculation methods are relevant when deciding how to calculate the number of tiles for the floor . The stock of material can be laid down at the stage of calculating the area of the room, simply increasing it by 5-10%. If you plan to make a panel on the floor, you need to subtract its area from the floor area and divide the final number by the area of one base tile.
To calculate the number of tiles per wall , you can also use the methods described above. Only for calculations you will also need the height of the room (in the bathroom it is usually slightly less than in other rooms, so you need to take measurements separately). The perimeter of the walls is multiplied by it, which allows you to get their total area. In addition, it is important to take into account some nuances:
- The area of doors and other existing openings must be subtracted from the area of the walls.
- When finishing a bathroom, you can ignore the area of the walls behind the bathtub. Experts allow not to finish the floor and walls behind the bathtub. The main thing is to reliably seal the joints between the edge of the bathtub and the tiles to prevent water and moisture from getting on the unfinished surface. This is one of the most important points in the question of how to calculate the amount of tiles for the bathroom on the walls , since refusing to finish behind the bathtub helps to save a lot.
- If you plan to tile the bathtub screen, you need to add its area to the calculations.
How to measure a room correctly
To take measurements, it is enough to have a regular tape measure. The main thing when measuring is to take into account all the bevels and unevenness. Ideally, measurements should be taken after leveling the floor and walls. If the shape of the room is complex (not a rectangle or square), then you will have to measure all protruding or recessed parts such as niches or bay windows. It is more convenient to take measurements from the entrance, gradually moving from left to right and measuring each wall and ledge, without neglecting anything. This way you will definitely not get confused.
If the room configuration is complex, the easiest way is to draw a schematic image of it on paper and divide the figure into simple ones, then determine the area of each and sum up all the values. It is equally important to make all measurements in the same units, for example, in meters.
Conclusions. Advice from a specialist
So, to calculate the required volume of tiles, you can use an online calculator or do the calculations yourself: by area, by rows, based on a detailed layout diagram. The fastest, but less accurate way is with a calculator. More accurate results are given by the methods of calculating by area and rows, and the most truthful ones are given by the layout diagram. The latter helps to save significantly, since the diagram clearly shows which tiles and where will be laid, taking into account offsets, patterns, and undercuts.
An important rule when calculating the number of tiles is to add a reserve of 5-10% to the resulting number, and 10-15% for a complex laying scheme. This will protect you from unforeseen situations when a tile breaks and you do not have extra elements to replace it, including during the use of the finish. The remains of tiles and even damaged elements should not be thrown away immediately, because they can be useful when repairing chips. Applying these simple rules and recommendations in practice, you can easily install the required amount of material and beautifully decorate the floors or walls in any room.