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July 16, 2025 7 mins

The mystery of "How much tile do I need?" frustrates even the most meticulous homeowners and designers. During this conversation with Abby, we unravel why that seemingly simple calculation consistently falls short in real-world applications.

Every tile installation includes hidden factors that increase material needs beyond basic measurements. Those awkward cuts around outlets, inevitable breakage during shipping or installation, and factory defects quickly consume your supply. One kitchen backsplash client learned this lesson the hard way, running short halfway through installation despite our warnings. The experience highlights why the professional standard of adding 10-15% overage exists—it's not excessive caution, but practical necessity.

Your specific project details significantly impact how much extra you'll need. Working with subway tile in a rectangular room? The standard 10% might suffice. Planning a herringbone pattern or tiling a room with multiple angles and alcoves? You'll want 15-20% additional material. Large format tiles create proportionally larger waste with each cut, while complex patterns generate unusable offcuts. We share real customer scenarios, including a sunroom with so many angles that required nearly 20% extra material to complete successfully.

Beyond preventing installation delays, ordering sufficient overage serves another critical purpose—future repairs. Tile production varies between batches, making perfect matches impossible years later if you damage a tile. Having spares from your original installation ensures seamless repairs without resorting to visible patches or complete replacements. Have you encountered tile shortages in your projects? Share your experiences and reach out with questions as you plan your next tile transformation. Your well-planned project starts with the right materials calculation.

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:01):
What kind of tile can you put on the wall or shower?
Do you have to seal tile?
How much extra tile should Ibuy for my project?
What thinset is the best for mytile application?
How hard is it to maintainnatural stone?
You have questions.
We have answers.
Welcome to the Belt TilePodcast.

(00:22):
How to style the bathroom, thebackyard, the kitchen, how to
improve your home style withtiles to make your home
absolutely beautiful?
Welcome to the Belk TilePodcast.
Here's your host, Mike Belk.

Mike (00:43):
Hey everyone, welcome back to the Belk Tile Podcast.
I'm Mike Belk and, as always,I'm here with Abby.
Hi everyone.
Today we're tackling a questionwe get all the time how much
tile do you really need for yourproject?
And you know why is it that youalways seem to need more than
you think?

Abby (00:58):
Yeah, this is one of those things that trips up even the
most prepared homeowners anddesigners.
I mean, it sounds simple,measure your space, buy that
much tile, right.
But oh man, if only it werethat easy.
There are so many little thingsthat can throw off your
calculations Waste, cuts,breakage, it all adds up.

Mike (01:17):
Exactly, and I can't tell you how many times I've seen
projects stall out becausesomeone didn't order enough.
You always want to buy extra.
It's not just about beingcautious, it's about being
realistic.
Tiles get cut to fit aroundcorners, outlets or you know
those weird little nooks thatevery house seems to have, and
every time you make a cutthere's a chance that piece
can't be used somewhere else.

Abby (01:37):
And don't forget breakage Tiles can crack during shipping
or you might drop one duringinstall.
Plus, sometimes you open a boxand find a couple with little
defects.
If you don't have extras,you're stuck.
I actually had a client thiswas a kitchen remodel maybe two
years ago who wanted to savemoney and ordered just enough
tile for her backsplash.
We warned her, but she wasdetermined.

(01:59):
Well, halfway through we ranout because of all the little
cuts around the outlets andcabinets.
Layout of the room reallymatter too.

Mike (02:18):
If you're working with a simple subway tile in a
rectangular room, you might getaway with a little less overage.
But if you've got a herringbonepattern or a room with a bunch
of corners, you're going to needmore.
The more complex the layout,the more waste you end up with.

Abby (02:31):
And that's something we touched on in our shower floors,
episode right All those littlecuts for drains and slopes.
It's the same idea plan for theunexpected and you'll save
yourself a lot of headaches.

Mike (02:41):
So let's get into the nitty gritty.
How do you actually figure outhow much extra tile to buy?
First, you measure your spacelength times width for each
section, add them up and that'syour total square footage.
But that's just the startingpoint.

Abby (02:53):
Right, and then comes the magic number overage.
The general rule is to add 10%to 15% extra for most projects.
If you're doing a basic layoutin a pretty straightforward room
, 10% is usually enough.
But if you've got a diagonalpattern or something like
herringbone or a room with a lotof nooks and crannies, bump it
up to 15% or even 20%.

Mike (03:15):
Yeah, and I always tell customers, especially if they're
using a tile that's got a lotof variation or is imported
order a little more than youthink you'll need.
You don't want to run out andthen find out the next batch
doesn't match At Belk Tile.
We help folks figure this outall the time.
We look at the layout, the tilesize, the room shape and
recommend an overage that makessense for their project.

Abby (03:35):
Let me give a quick example.
Say your kitchen backsplash is100 square feet.
If you go with 15% overage,that's 15 extra square feet.
So you'd order 115 square feettotal.

Mike (03:46):
It's a small investment for a lot of peace of mind
bigger cuts, and sometimes youcan't use the leftover pieces
anywhere else.
So don't be afraid.
To round up, it's way better tohave a few extra tiles left
over than to be scrambling atthe end.

Abby (04:07):
And, honestly, having a couple of spares is great for
future repairs.
If you ever chip a tile or needto replace one down the road,
you'll be glad you have amatching piece from the original
batch.
Now let's talk about thosetricky situations Irregular
rooms, big tiles, crazy patterns.
These are the projects wherethings can go sideways fast.
I had a client with a sunroomthat was basically all angles

(04:27):
and alcoves.
We ended up needing almost 20%extra tile because every wall
was a different length and therewere so many cuts.
It was wild.

Mike (04:36):
Yeah, and with those big tiles like the 24 by 24s, you
really have to watch out.
If your room isn't perfectlysquare, you end up trimming a
lot, and those offcuts usuallycan't be reused.
Same goes for patterns likechevron or herringbone Lots of
waste, lots of planning, and ifyou run out of tile mid-project,
well, that's when the real funstarts.

Abby (04:54):
Oh, I've heard some horror stories from listeners.
One person emailed us aboutrunning out of tile halfway
through a bathroom floor.
The tile had been discontinuedso they had to get creative,
ended up using a border of adifferent tile to finish the job
.
It actually looked pretty coolin the end, but it was
definitely not the original plan.

Mike (05:13):
I've seen that too.
Sometimes you can make it workwith a border or an accent, but
it's always a scramble.
That's why planning ahead is soimportant.
I remember a project where weordered just enough, but the
installer chipped a few tilesduring install.
Luckily, the homeowner hadlistened to our advice and
ordered extra, so we swappedthem out with no problem.
Saved the day really.

Abby (05:31):
And that's the big takeaway Plan for the unexpected
, whether it's a weird-shapedroom, a tricky pattern or just
plain old bad luck.
Having extra tile on hand cansave your project and if you end
up with leftovers, you canalways use them for repairs or a
fun DIY down the road.

Mike (05:47):
Absolutely Well, that's going to do it for today's
episode.
If you have questions aboutyour own tile project or if
you've got a story about runningout of tile, send it our way.
We love hearing from you.

Abby (05:56):
Yeah, and don't forget to check out our previous episodes
if you miss them.
We covered everything fromshower floors to fireplace
designs, so there's a lot ofgood stuff in the archive.
Thanks for listening, mike,always a pleasure.

Mike (06:08):
Thanks Abby.
We'll see you all next time onthe Belk Tile Podcast.
Take care everybody.
Bye everyone.

Speaker 1 (06:16):
You've been listening to the Belk Tile Podcast.
When it comes to creating abeautiful home using tile, this
is the podcast for products,design ideas and tips.
We hope you got some usefulpractical information from this
show and we'll be back soon, butin the meantime, reach out.
The website is wwwbelktilecom.

(06:37):
Our store phone number is614-543-8334.
Find us on Facebook and Twitterat Belk Tile, and on Instagram
at Belk Tiles.
Make sure to leave a rating andreview and if you have
questions or comments, reach outand we'll talk about it on the
next show.
Till next time.
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