How Much Porcelain & Ceramic Tile To Buy

Figuring out how much porcelain or ceramic you need to buy can be a bit bothersome, but you can simplify it, provided you follow these few simple guidelines. All you need is a measuring tape and a calculator.

Step one: Measuring

Measure the width and length of the area you want to tile in feet, then multiply them to get the square footage. If the room’s shape is irregular, divide the room in as much segments as needed and add those numbers up. For instance, an L-shaped room can be divided into two different rectangles. The sum of those segments’ square footage will be the square footage of the whole room. The same principle can be applied if you need tiles that span across both vertical and horizontal surfaces.

Step two: Calculating

Figure out what kind of tiles you want to place in the chosen area. Four 6×6 inch tiles will take up one square foot and so will one 12×12 inch tile. Once you find out how many tiles are required per square foot, multiply that number by the total square footage you determined in step one.

If, for example, the area that needs to be tiled is 25 square feet, you will require 100 6×6 inch tiles, or 25 12×12 inch tiles.

Step three: Ordering

Sometimes, two to three percent of the delivered tiles can be either broken or chipped. Ten percent is considered acceptable by the manufacturers. Although these damaged tiles can be used to cover smaller areas, consider buying a few more than needed, for mistakes are common in the process.

Usually, 10 percent more tiles will do the trick, but consider ordering up to 20 percent more if you lack the experience. The extra tiles may be stored and used in the future in the eventuality of a damaged tile.