Tile Calculator

Buying tile the right way

Tile is sold by the box in a labeled coverage, and the tiles inside are cut from a dye lot. Buy the whole job at once from a single lot; matching later is nearly impossible. Add waste for cuts against walls, doorways, and any pattern like diagonal or herringbone that produces triangular offcuts.

Thinset, trowel, and coverage

Thinset consumption depends on trowel size and how flat the substrate is. A 1/4 in square notch on smooth backer board covers about 90 square feet per 50 pound bag. Large format tile above 15 inches on any side usually requires back buttering, a bigger trowel, and more thinset per bag. Follow the mortar manufacturer directions for the specific tile size.

Grout width choices

Rectified porcelain can go as tight as 1/16 inch. Standard ceramic looks best at 1/8 inch. Larger natural stone often wants 3/16 or 1/4 inch. Wider joints hide slight tile size variation but increase grout consumption and cleaning effort.