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RoomCalcs

Tile layout calculator and cut plan

Enter the room and the tile: the planner finds the start line with no thin cuts, letters every cut, reuses offcuts and prints a cut list. Planks get a row-by-row plan where one row's offcut starts the next.

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How to plan where to start tiling

  1. 1Choose tiles or planks, then enter the room's width and length and the gap you leave at the walls.
  2. 2Enter the tile size and joint width and pick a pattern — or, for planks, the plank size, which way they run and the rules from your floor's instructions.
  3. 3Pick the smallest cut you accept. “Best start” tries hundreds of start lines and keeps the one with no thin cuts and the fewest tiles; compare it with a centred or corner start.
  4. 4Snap the two set-out lines the plan gives you, lay the first tile ★ and work outwards.
  5. 5Cut every piece of one letter in one go (for planks, follow the rows in order), then print the plan or save it as a PDF.

How the cut plan is worked out

  1. 01Tiles: each tile that crosses a wall is cut to the floor, measured to the gap line; identical pieces share a letter.
  2. 02A piece comes from an offcut when it fits inside one without turning the tile face down; otherwise from a new tile.
  3. 03Best start = the pattern shift with the fewest cuts under your minimum, then the fewest tiles, then the biggest smallest cut.
  4. 04Planks: rows = room width ÷ plank width; a last row under the minimum width is balanced with the first.
  5. 05Each row = start piece + full planks + end piece, no piece under the minimum, end joints of neighbouring rows at least the minimum apart.
  6. 06To buy = what the plan uses × (1 + spare %).

The US tile installation standard ANSI A108.02 asks for areas of tile to be centred and balanced where possible, and says that usually no cut should be smaller than half a tile. The planner moves the whole pattern through one repeat — across and down for straight and brick bonds, both ways at once for diagonal and herringbone — and keeps the start line that does best.

Counting real pieces is tighter than a flat waste percentage: a 400 mm cut at one wall leaves a 200 mm offcut that a 150 mm cut at the other wall can use. An offcut is only used for a piece that fits with its factory edges where they show, and each offcut only once.

Plank rules depend on the product: makers ask for end pieces of about 20–30 cm, end joints 20–30 cm apart from row to row, a last row of at least 5 cm and a gap of roughly 6–15 mm at the walls. The defaults sit on the safe side; type your floor's own numbers if they differ.

Tips before you buy

  • Measure the room at both ends and across both diagonals. If the walls are out of square, plan with the smaller size and let the wall gap take the difference.
  • Dry-lay one row along each set-out line before you mix adhesive: you see the edge cuts before anything is fixed.
  • In a room you see from the door, a centred layout can look better than the one with the fewest tiles — compare the three starts.
  • A brick bond with a ⅓ offset makes cuts under half a tile hard to avoid; trade advice is to agree that layout with the owner first.
  • For planks, the offcut from the end of a row usually starts the next row — keep offcuts beside you in row order.

Frequently asked questions

Where should I start tiling a floor?

Not blindly in a corner. Find the start line that gives cuts of at least half a tile at every wall — usually near the middle — and tile outwards from there. The planner tests every start line in one repeat of the pattern and gives you the two measurements for your chalk lines.

What is the smallest cut a tile should have?

Trade practice (ANSI A108.02) is that usually no cut is smaller than half a tile. A third is sometimes accepted, for example in a ⅓-offset brick bond. Choose your minimum and the planner keeps every cut above it wherever the room allows.

Does the plan reuse offcuts?

Yes. Pieces are matched against the offcuts already made, biggest pieces first. A piece is taken from an offcut only if it fits without turning the tile face down, so the factory edges stay on the visible joints. Each offcut is used once.

How many extra tiles should I buy?

The plan counts the exact tiles your layout uses, cut ones included. Add a few percent for breakage and faulty tiles — 5 % is the default — and buy all boxes from one batch.

How does the plank plan stagger the joints?

Row by row: each row's start piece is chosen so no piece is shorter than your minimum and its end joints sit at least your minimum distance from those of the row before. The offcut from one row's end plank starts a later row, as fitters do.

Can I print the plan for my tiler?

Yes. Download a PDF with the floor plan, a sheet with every lettered piece drawn, the cut list and the set-out measurements — or print it, or copy a link that opens the same plan.

Sources

Formulas last reviewed: September 30, 2026 ·How we check our formulas

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