Home Tile layout & quantities
How many boxes of tile should you buy?
Published by Tile Ledger
Add the areas that take the same tile, multiply by one plus your chosen waste allowance, divide by the coverage on one carton and round up. Check the cut layout separately before placing the order. An awkward border or a directional pattern can change the allowance.
Start with the order unit on the carton
A nominal tile size can differ from the face size, and two collections sold under the same size name can pack different amounts. Record the coverage and whether the seller will split a carton. Keep each color, field tile and trim profile on a separate order line.
Follow 80 square feet through checkout
An 8 by 10 ft rectangle is 80 sq ft. Suppose you choose a 10% allowance after discussing this simple layout with the installer. The target becomes 88 sq ft. With 12 sq ft per carton, seven cartons give 84 sq ft and miss that target. Eight cartons give 96 sq ft.
Write both 88 and 96 on the order sheet. The 8 sq ft between them comes from buying complete cartons. The 16 sq ft above the measured area includes material that may disappear into saw cuts, breakage and unusable offcuts. Decide how many sound, matching pieces you want to retain after the work.
Change the allowance when the plan changes
Lay a sample row through the most expensive shape to cut. A triangle left by a diagonal edge may have no partner on the opposite side. A directional design may prevent you rotating a scrap. Ask the tile maker about its allowance for your tile and pattern. Fireclay, for example, gives different guidance for its ordinary field tile and its specialty patterns. Save the carton label with any repair stock so you can identify the product later.