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Tile layout plan

Tile layout planner: your free tile layout plan

A tile layout plan shows, before you set a single tile, where every tile goes, where you have to cut and how many boxes to buy. The Autolay planner draws it for free from your room's dimensions or a photo of the floor plan, right in your browser and without an account.

On a tile job, the expensive mistakes are made before the first bucket of adhesive is mixed: a sliver of cut tile along the most visible wall, a grout line that misses the center of the doorway, a box that runs out on Saturday afternoon. A tile layout plan settles all of that on paper. People used to do it with graph paper and a pencil; the planner lays every tile in the real outline of your room, shifts the grid so the cut tiles at the walls come out as wide as possible, and counts the tiles from that drawing instead of from an area with a rough allowance added.

What the tile layout plan shows

The plan you download answers the four questions that come up before you buy and before you lay:

  • The cuts – every cut tile is marked in the plan with its size, and the cut list goes straight to the tile cutter or the wet saw.
  • The starting point – where the first whole tile goes and which way the rows run; you can move it to balance the cuts on two opposite walls.
  • The grout lines – straight lay or offset by a half or a third of a tile, with exactly where the joints meet the walls, the thresholds and the corners.
  • The boxes to buy – the number of tiles and boxes and the waste as a percentage, counted from the tiles actually laid in your room.
Tile layout plan of a kitchen measuring 11 ft 6 in × 9 ft 10 in, with 60 × 60 cm (about 24 × 24 in) tiles laid straight: whole tiles solid, the 10 cut tiles hatched along two walls.
Example: a kitchen measuring 11 ft 6 in × 9 ft 10 in, with 60 × 60 cm (about 24 × 24 in) tiles laid straight. Whole tiles are solid, cut tiles hatched. see the sample plan with all its figures

How many 24 × 24 in tiles your room needs

24 × 24 in is one of the most common floor tile sizes. This is what a tile-by-tile count of each room gives, cuts included:

24 × 24 in tiles, 1/8 in grout joints, straight lay, boxes of 4 tiles (16 sq ft) with spare tiles.
RoomTilesCutsBoxes
6 × 5 ft853
8 × 6 ft1264
10 × 8 ft2086
12 × 10 ft30148
15 × 12 ft451812
20 × 15 ft752420

A reusable offcut covers another cut, which is why there are often more cuts than tiles that get cut. The boxes include 5 % spare for breakage and repairs, at least two tiles. A small room loses proportionally more to cuts than a large one, so the waste share drops as the room grows.

Example: the tile layout plan for a 12 × 10 ft kitchen

The kitchen measures 12 × 10 ft, which is 120 sq ft. The tiles are 24 × 24 in and come 4 to a box. The plan leaves an expansion joint along every wall, so the area that is actually tiled is a little smaller than the room.

The plan lays 16 whole tiles and 14 cut tiles, 30 tiles in all, so you buy 8 boxes, with 1.5 % waste. Every cut tile is drawn in its place with its size, so the cut list can go straight to the saw.

Move the starting point or switch to a half offset and the plan redraws itself, with the box count updated at once. That way you see which choice needs fewer cuts before you have bought anything.

The tile layout plan is made in the free floor planner, the same tool as for laminate and wood floors, with tile chosen as the material.

Only need a quantity, without a plan? The tile calculator gives you tiles and boxes in seconds.

Make your tile layout plan in three steps

  1. Open the sample kitchen

    The button opens the planner on a kitchen that is already tiled, so you see right away what a finished tile layout plan looks like.

  2. Enter your room and your tile

    Type in the length and width of your room, or upload a photo, a PDF or a DXF file of the floor plan and trace the walls. Then enter your tile size and how many tiles come in a box.

  3. Choose the pattern and download the plan

    Pick a straight lay or an offset, move the starting point if you need to, then download the plan with the cut list and the box count as a PDF.

Every screen of the planner, from drawing the room to the material list, is explained in the step-by-step layout plan guide.

Questions about the tile layout plan

What is a tile layout plan?
A drawing of your room with every tile in its place. It shows where tiling starts, where the grout lines fall and which cuts to make, and it is what you count the tiles to buy from.
Is the tile layout planner really free?
Yes. The planner runs free in your browser, with nothing to install and no account; you download the plan as a PDF.
Where should I start laying tile?
Usually from the center line of the room or from the doorway, so the cuts are equal on two opposite walls and no cut is narrower than a third of a tile. The plan shows the result of both choices before you lay anything.
How many extra tiles should I buy?
Plan on 5 to 10 % for a straight lay and 10 to 15 % on the diagonal. A small room needs more than a large one; the plan gives the figure for your room, and a few spare tiles for later repairs are still a good idea.
Can I plan a bathroom or an L-shaped room?
Yes. Draw the room from its dimensions or from a photo of the floor plan: jogs, niches and doorways are tiled just as they will be in real life.

Make the tile layout plan for the sample kitchen

Upload your floor plan and the free planner works out the exact packs and waste before you order.

Open the tile layout plan