Bathroom tile layout: how many tiles and where cuts land

“How much tile for the bathroom?” is really several walls plus a floor, minus the tub or shower tray and any windows. A single flat m² number hides that. A bathroom tile layout planner (or a careful paper sketch) answers two questions at once: how many tiles and where the awkward cuts land.

Direct answer

Measure every tiled wall and the floor separately. Subtract the bathtub, shower tray, niches, and windows. Enter those sizes into a layout planner with your tile format and joint width. Order from the piece list (whole tiles + cuts), not from “area plus 10%”. Check corners for strips under 50 mm — those break on site.

Before you buy

1. Sketch the bathroom and number each wall (including the short nib walls beside the tub).
2. Measure length and height of every tiled wall; measure the floor separately in a few places (bathrooms are rarely perfect rectangles).
3. Note the bathtub, shower tray, niches, and windows — these reduce net area and change where rows start.
4. Decide tile size and pattern with the installer (or for DIY, stick to a simple straight grid on wet walls).
5. Agree whether the floor runs under the vanity, and whether walls stop at a tile ledge or go full-height.

If you are renovating the bathroom yourself, calculate materials before the first cut. The planner will not replace waterproofing skills — it stops blind ordering and thin edge strips that shatter when you try to set them.

Worked example (small bathroom)

Assume a wet wall 2.40 m wide × 2.50 m high, 300×600 mm wall tiles, 2 mm joints, tub footprint removing the lower 0.55 m across the full width on that wall.

1. Net tiled height above the tub ≈ 2.50 − 0.55 = 1.95 m.
2. In a layout planner, set the wall width/height, tile size, and joint; mark the tub zone as an opening or non-tiled band.
3. Read whole tiles and cut sizes for that wall alone.
4. Repeat for the other three walls and the floor (floor often uses a different format).
5. Sum boxes across surfaces; round up to pack size from the store label.
6. Scan corners: if an edge piece is under 50 mm, shift the start (centre or alternate origin) until Sliver Guard clears the strip — or change tile size.

A m² calculator might say “wet wall ≈ 4.7 m² + 10%”. That number does not tell you that a left-start leaves a 35 mm vertical strip next to the shower glass. The layout does.

Bathroom-specific traps

• Mixed formats. Floor 600×600 and wall 300×600 need separate scenes or surfaces — do not force one grid.
• Niches and windows. Openings create extra cuts; count them on the plan, not as a vague waste percent.
• Symmetric look vs thin cuts. Centering on the main wall looks better, but only if edge pieces stay ≥ 50 mm. Prefer a slightly uneven joint to a fragile strip.
• DIY search traffic. “DIY bathroom renovation” guides often skip piece-level math. For Scalarcut the useful part is material truth: piece counts, grout, adhesive, and a printable layout. Waterproofing and plumbing still follow local codes and a qualified tradesperson.

In Scalarcut

1. Create one surface (or one project with several walls) per tiled plane.
2. Add openings and the tub footprint where it removes tiling.
3. Pick pattern (straight is safest for wet walls).
4. Read whole tiles and cuts for each surface.
5. Sum boxes across walls and floor; round to pack sizes.
6. Check corners with Sliver Guard.
7. Export or share the layout before ordering.

What to order from the bill

• Whole tiles and cut lengths (for box count).
• Grout and adhesive from net area after openings — see grout and adhesive.
• A small overage for breakage on site (still grounded in the piece list, not invented from thin air).

Next: Piece counts · Floor layout · Quick start · Download the app