Where to start tiling a floor so you don't end up with thin cuts

Short answer: start from the line that leaves cuts of at least half a tile at both walls, in both directions. That line is usually near the middle of the room, but not always exactly on it. This is what the tile installation standard ANSI A108.02 asks for: centre and balance the tiles, and usually make no cut smaller than half a tile.

To find it, measure the room, divide by the tile plus joint, and look at what is left. If a joint on the centre line leaves strips under half a tile, put the middle of a tile on the centre line instead.

Why not start in a corner?

Starting with a whole tile in one corner puts all the cuts against the opposite walls, often by the door where everyone sees them. Walls are also rarely straight or square, so the error builds up across the room and shows as a tapering cut at the far wall.

Why not exactly in the middle?

Putting a joint on the centre of the room makes the two sides match, but the cuts can come out thin. Take a 3 × 4 m room with 600 × 600 mm tiles and no joint. Here are three ways to start, as the tile layout planner works them out:

The centred start gives twelve 200 mm strips and corner pieces of 300 × 200 mm. The balanced start keeps five whole tiles across the 3 m width and puts a 500 mm row against both 4 m end walls. Both sides look the same, and no cut is thin.

Work out the start line by hand

Do one direction at a time:

1. Measure wall to wall and take off the movement gap at each wall, if you leave one.
2. Divide by the tile size plus one joint. The whole number is the whole tiles; the rest is what the cuts must fill.
3. Split the rest between the two walls. If each cut is at least half a tile, put a joint on the centre line.
4. If each cut would be less than half a tile, centre a tile on the centre line instead. That moves every joint by half a tile, and each cut grows by half a tile.

In inches: a room 150 in wide with 12 in tiles and 1/8 in joints. With a joint on the centre line, six tiles on each side leave strips of only about 2 3/16 in at the walls. With a tile centred on the line, each wall gets a cut of 8 1/4 in, more than half a tile.

Then do the same along the room. For brick bond, herringbone and diagonal layouts the pattern repeats differently, so try the start in small steps; the planner searches every position in one repeat of the pattern and compares it with the corner and the centred start.

Mark the lines

Snap two chalk lines through the start point, square to each other. Check the corner with the 3-4-5 rule: 3 units along one line and 4 along the other should be exactly 5 apart. Lay a dry row of tiles with spacers along each line before you mix any adhesive.

The planner gives the two measurements from the walls to the corner of the first whole tile, and prints a lettered plan with every cut.

Cuts, offcuts and how many tiles to buy

When a cut leaves a usable offcut, it can fill a piece elsewhere: turned round, but never face down, because the face of a tile has one side. Counting this way gives the exact number of tiles your layout uses. Add about 5 % for breakage and faulty tiles, and buy every box from one batch. The tile calculator does the quick count by area, and our guide on tile adhesive and grout covers what goes under and between them.

Laminate and vinyl planks: plan the rows first

Planks have the same problem in the other direction: the last row. Measure across the room (less the expansion gap at both walls) and divide by the plank's face width.

• If the last row would be very narrow (under about 2 in or 50 mm), cut down the first row too, so both are equal. Pergo's instructions say this, as quoted by DG Floors.
• Example: a hallway 990 mm wide with 192 mm planks gives five full rows and a 30 mm sliver. Cut the first and last rows to 111 mm each and lay four full rows between them.
• Keep the end joints of neighbouring rows apart: at least 8 in, and 12 in looks more random (DG Floors). Krono's laminate instructions give about 30 cm for both the joint offset and the shortest piece at a row end.

Start each new row with the offcut from the end of the row before, as long as it is longer than the shortest piece allowed. The planner does this row by row and prints the start and end piece for every row. Our laminate guide covers how many boxes to buy.

Frequently asked questions

Should I start tiling in the middle of the room?

Start near the middle, on the line that leaves cuts of at least half a tile at both walls. Exactly on the centre is right only when it happens to give those cuts. Otherwise move the pattern by half a tile.

What is the smallest cut a tile should have?

ANSI A108.02 says usually no cut smaller than half a tile. A third is sometimes accepted, for example in a brick bond offset by a third. Very small pieces tend to break and come loose.

How do I find the centre of a room for tiling?

Mark the middle of two opposite walls and snap a line between them, then do the same for the other two walls. Check that the lines cross at a right angle with the 3-4-5 rule before you start.

How do I set out tiles in an L-shaped room?

Set out from the largest rectangle, where the eye looks first, and run the same lines into the smaller part. Then check the cuts at the walls of the small part and shift the lines a little if one comes out thin.

Where do I start laying laminate flooring?

Usually along the longest straight wall, with the planks running towards the main window. Work out the last row's width first, and cut down the first row too if the last would be too narrow.

Sources: ANSI A108.02 §4.3.1–4.3.2 (quoted by TileLetter); DG Floors, How to install Pergo flooring; Krono Original, Twin Clic laminate installation instructions.