When you're preparing for a tile job, you may find it confusing when it comes to calculating the number of tiles required for the job. While 12 inch-by-12 inch square tiles are calculated at one per square foot, other sized tiles will need a bit more math to compute the proper quantity needed to tile an area. By learning basic conversions, you can calculate required tiles without worrying that you'll purchase too few to finish the job or so many that you have cases left over when the job is completed.
Instructions
1. Multiply the length and width of the area to be tiled in feet and add ten percent to the results. This is the total amount of square feet of tile needed, including cutting waste. For example, an area that is five feet by seven feet would be five times seven equals 35 plus ten percent: 35 plus 3.5 equals 38.5 square feet of tile needed.
2. Determine the amount of tiles per square foot for the tile you have chosen by multiplying the tile length and width of the tile in inches. For our example, a tile that is six inches by eight inches would equal 48 square inches.
3. Divide the square inches of your tile into 144, which is the number of square inches in one square foot: 48 into 144 equals three tiles per square foot.
4. Calculate the total number of tiles needed for the job by multiplying the total square feet needed by the number of tiles per square foot and rounding up: 38.5 square feet times three tiles per square foot equals 115.5 rounded up equals 116 tiles required for the job.
Tags: square foot, square feet, tiles square, tiles square foot, number tiles