Tiling an area is a whole lot easier when you know how exactly many tiles you’re going to need to complete the job.
With the right prep work, you should have just the right amount of tiles to complete your project.
To avoid over-ordering or under-ordering tiles, here’s a guide on how to measure up for tiling a floor or a wall in a bathroom, kitchen or other feature spot of your home.
Before You Start: How Many Tiles Do I Need?
Map out on paper the size and shape of the area you want to tile first.
Decide whether you are doing walls, floors or both and if the whole area will be covered in tiles, or just a portion of it. Mark out the areas where the tiles will be exactly and take measurements.
Then, consider the tiling pattern you will use. Will you be going for straight tiles, herringbone or other styles? You need to know this going into the project. Consider the width of your grout too.
Adjust your measurements for the windows and window sills and skirtings, plus any fixtures you’ll be tiling over or around.
How To Take Tile Area Measurements
If it’s a floor you’re tiling, use a measuring tape to measure the length of one side of the room and then the width of another side of the room.
Get a friend to help you, or use a laser measuring device for large areas.
For walls, measure the length of the wall up and down and the width left to right.
Tile Measuring Calculator: How To Work Out Square Metres
Take the length and width measurements and multiply them together. This gives you the total square meterage of the wall and/or floor areas.
For all the areas you need tiled, do this calculation and add them all together to get the total.
Now, you will always need more tiles than the total space to allow for cuts, waste, breaks or if the stock runs low during the project.
So, if you multiply your total square meterage by 10-15%, that should be enough to cover your project and this is the final total amount of tiles you should order.
Tiles usually come in boxes with their amount labelled, so divide the total square meterage required by the total square meterage of the tiles in the box.
For example, if the room is 120 square metres and each box has 1.44 square metres of tile inside, then you’ll need 84 BOXES.
Bathrooms: Measuring For Tiles
Drains, vanities, toilets or other items that take up space on the floor must be taken into consideration.
Most things will be removed during demolition, but it’s good to tile underneath items for future updates to the bathroom.
If you have an item that cannot be removed, simply turn your floor into two areas rather than one.
Showers can easily be three rectangular sections, but if you have a cutout, make sure you add that into the equation. Measure all areas, excluding benches and windows.
Featured bathroom looks for inspiration
Kitchens: How To Measure For Tiles
When measuring your kitchen area for a tile backsplash, write down the width and height.
Some kitchens are one long rectangle, which makes things easier to measure.
Remember to accommodate windows and cabinets.
Subway tiles can look amazing for a kitchen splashback
Tile Measuring FAQs
How many 600×600 tiles is one square metre?
3
What is the most popular tile size?
The standard tile size for main floors in Australia at present is approximately 600x600mm, but this trend for larger tiles is increasing.
Can you lay tiles without grout?
Technically, yes, but it’s not recommended. Tile movement can lead to breakage, stuff can get stuck between the tiles and, if the tiles are not identical, they’ll look weird. Grouting can be hard to install and maintain, but it’s necessary to preserve the life of your tiling project.
Related Resources
The Australian Tile Council (ATC)
Tiles and Tiling Industry Association Australia
Check out the full range of tiles available at Central Coast Tile & Stone Warehouse, or see our renovation projects section for more hints and tips.
We invite you to come into our West Gosford Showroom with your design ideas, so you can browse our full range of tiles and get our professional advice on the options that best suit your vision and budget.
