Flooring
Tile & Paving Layout Planner
Plan the tile layout, see where the cuts land, and count what to order
Updated August 12, 2026 · Live
What this tool does
Lays your tile out across the area in stack bond, running bond or herringbone, then counts the full tiles, the cut tiles and the boxes to order. Shows the cut sizes and flags any sliver under a third of a tile.
Area
Covering 14.40 m²
Tile
Pattern
Start position
Centre positions split the leftover so the cuts land on both edges at half the width.
Cut-outs
Areas that are not tiled — a WC, an island, a hearth. Measured from the top-left corner of the area.
Ordering
Price is optional. Thickness drives the grout and weight estimates — set it to 0 to leave both out of the results.
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Formula Used
How the layout planner works
The planner lays your tile out across the area exactly as it would go down on site, then counts what it produced. It works from the module pitch — the tile dimension plus one joint — and clips a tiled grid to the area rectangle. Joints run between tiles rather than around the perimeter, so a run of n tiles spans n tile widths plus n minus one joints. Everything downstream, the diagram included, is drawn from that same set of tiles, so the picture and the numbers cannot disagree.
Why the start position matters
Most tile calculators divide the area by the tile and add a wastage percentage. That tells you roughly how many tiles to buy but nothing about where the cuts land. Starting in a corner sends the entire leftover to the two far edges. Starting from the centre halves it and puts a cut band on both sides. The tile count barely moves; the size of the cuts changes a great deal, and that is what decides whether the job looks deliberate or looks like it ran out of room.
Reading the cut list
For stack and running bond the planner groups every cut tile by its finished size and gives you a count of each. A running bond produces two different sets of edge cuts because the shifted rows start and finish at different points from the unshifted ones, so the leading and trailing cuts are worked out separately rather than assumed to mirror each other. Sizes are given in millimetres to two decimal places.
Slivers
Any cut under a third of the tile is flagged with the edge it affects. Nothing is corrected for you. Shifting the start position is the usual remedy, and the diagram updates as soon as you change it so you can see where the cuts move to.
What this tool does not do
It counts tiles, cuts, boxes and an indicative grout quantity. It does not specify adhesive or trowel size, assess the substrate, place movement joints, or judge whether a tile or a layout suits the room. Those decisions depend on the build-up, the exposure and the product, and they belong with the tile manufacturer's instructions and a qualified tiler.
Adjusting the defaults
Every figure is editable. Wastage starts at 10 per cent, which suits a simple rectangular room; raise it where the area is cut about with hips, alcoves or a lot of edge work. Tiles per box starts at 1 so the box count matches the tile count until you enter a real pack size.
Sources & methodology
Tiles are placed by clipping a phased grid to the area rectangle, using a module pitch of tile dimension plus one joint, with joints counted between tiles only. Start position sets the grid phase; running bond shifts alternate rows by the chosen fraction of a module and lays each row out independently. Herringbone is generated on a two-tile lattice rotated 45° to the area and clipped, with cut tiles identified by comparing the clipped area to the full tile. Every figure is computed from the values you enter, and all inputs are editable.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the start position change how many tiles I need?
Starting in a corner pushes the whole leftover to the opposite two edges, so you get one band of cuts on each axis at the full leftover width. Starting from the centre splits that leftover in half and puts a cut band on both edges instead, each roughly half the width. The tile count usually rises slightly because you gain a band, but the cuts get easier to make and the floor looks balanced rather than running out against one wall. On a room that nearly divides exactly, a corner start can leave a sliver only a few millimetres wide.
What counts as a sliver, and why doesn't the tool fix it?
This planner flags any cut narrower than a third of the tile in that direction. Thin strips crack while you cut them, they are awkward to bed evenly, and they draw the eye along the wall they sit against. The tool does not move your layout automatically because the fix is a judgement call: shifting the start position changes which edges the cuts land on and how the finished floor reads, and on some layouts you would rather keep a full tile at the doorway and accept the sliver behind a unit.
Does grout go around the outside edge of the tiling?
Not in this calculation. Joints are counted between tiles only, so a run of tiles spans the tile widths plus one fewer joint than there are tiles. Perimeter gaps against walls are expansion or accommodation gaps rather than grout joints, and they vary with the substrate and the covering, so they are left out of the geometry here. If your layout depends on a specific perimeter gap, subtract it from the area dimensions before entering them.
Why is there no cut list for herringbone?
A herringbone laid at 45° meets every wall at an angle, so almost every perimeter tile is a different trapezoid. Listing them would produce a schedule as long as the perimeter itself, which is no use at a tile saw. The planner reports the exact number of full and cut tiles so you can order correctly, and the diagram shows you where the cuts fall. Herringbone also assumes a tile twice as long as it is wide — that is the ratio the pattern is built on.
How accurate is the grout estimate?
Treat it as a starting figure. It comes from the joint volume implied by your tile size, joint width and tile thickness, multiplied by a powder density you can adjust. Real coverage moves with the product, how fully the joints are packed, whether the tile edges are cushioned or square, and how much you lose mixing. Manufacturers publish coverage tables for their own products and those beat any generic formula, including this one.
Spotted something off?
Calculations or display — let us know.