How many tiles do you need for your next DIY project? The golden rule experts use to always buy the perfect amount

If you’ve ever had to tile (or have tiled) your bathroom or kitchen floor, you’ll know that ordering the tile amount that’s just right - not too little and not too much - is a daunting task. How can anyone ever tell how many tiles one needs?

Well, it turns out that if you want to find out how to tile a kitchen splashback or even anything bigger than that, you need to go straight to the source – the tile experts. Because to them, it’s as easy as. And in fact, once the pros’ golden rule was imparted to us, the formula does seem pretty fool-proof.

So if you have a tiling project coming up, then this simple guide to how many tiles you should be ordering will surely come in handy.

How many tiles do you need?

So what is this famous formula? This golden rule experts swear by to correctly tile a wall or the floor (or both), you might ask.

‘There is a simple method that, if followed, will give you the right amount,’ says Grazzie Wilson, head of creative at Ca’ Pietra. ‘You need to measure the space, whether that is the floor or walls to give you the exact measurements.’

She continues, ‘For floors, measure the width and multiply it by the depth. For walls, measure the width of each wall and multiply it by the height. Repeat for each wall you're tiling and simply add the measurements together to calculate your total area.’

Abbas Youssefi, managing director of independent tile specialists Porcelain Superstore, adds a tip, ‘Always work in centimetres. Inches and feet are allowed of course, but you’ll find that most tile shops and tilers prefer to work in the decimal system.’

Should you order extra tiles?

Yes, you should order extra tiles to account for any breakages or off-cuts when realising your bathroom tile ideas.

‘When ordering tiles, we recommend adding 10% wastage to the total square metres required – this is to allow for any wastage from cutting and installation,’ says Isabel Fernandez from Quorn Stone. ‘Ordering 10% wastage is an industry standard recommendation but you may want to consider ordering 15% or 20% wastage for smaller spaces or areas with more intricate cuts needed, for example, around a bathroom suite or shower alcove. This is because the wastage through cutting will be greater in proportion to the size of the area being tiled.’

What to do about walls with windows and doors?

Obviously, you don’t want to be tiling over your windows if tiling a bathroom wall. So this needs to be accounted for when calculating how many tiles you’ll need.

‘Walls are generally rectangular shaped but sometimes they have windows or doors on them that need to be accounted for. So, what we need to do is first calculate the area of the entire wall, then subtract the area of the window or door that’s also on the wall,’ Abbas says.

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FAQs

How many tiles per m2?

‘How many tiles you need per square metre entirely depends on the size of the tile – for example, you will need more tiles per square metre for a 600 x 400mm tile, compared to a 900 x 600mm tile,’ says Isabel Fernandez from Quorn Stone. ‘Most tile companies have a quantity calculator online to help you know how many square metres to how many tiles you will need.’

Is it worth keeping extra tiles?

It is absolutely worth keeping a few extra tiles as a backup in case some break in the future.

‘Be sure to keep some spare tiles one finished,’ says Grazzie Wilson, head of creative at Ca’ Pietra. ‘Tiles are often made in batches and while every batch should look the same, there might be an ever so slight variation in colour. If any of your tiles get chipped or damaged, you’ll want to repair them and for them to match exactly. Plus, there is always the risk your tiles may get discontinued and you don’t want that.’

And that’s all you need to know about calculating how many tiles you need for a tiling job. It’s much easier than it seems, right?