MEASURE BEFORE YOU ORDER
Calculate shower walls and floor separately
Measure the width and height of every wall you plan to tile. Subtract each untiled opening’s width × height. Keep the floor as a separate area so its tile size and cutting allowance can differ from the walls. For kitchen counter walls, the backsplash tile calculator adds separate wall sections and subtracts windows.
A 12 × 24 inch niche, 4 inches deep, with its back and all four returns tiled adds 2 sq ft to the full walls: 82.6667 − 2 + 2 + 2 = 84.6667 sq ft. With 12% extra and 3 × 6 inch wall tile, order 759 tiles. The same untiled opening leaves 80.6667 sq ft and needs 723 tiles.
For the starting shower, (60 + 32 + 32) × 96 ÷ 144 = 82.7 sq ft of walls. The floor is 60 × 32 ÷ 144 = 13.3 sq ft. The default allowances produce 741 wall tiles and 552 floor tiles.
Allow for cuts on each surface
Half offset walls start with 12% extra tile; the floor starts with 15%. These are area allowances for cutting, breakage and spare pieces. They do not simulate the exact layout around your drain or openings.
The two grout estimates use net area, with their own 10% extra allowance. The starting wall joints use the conventional unsanded-grout model; the starting floor joints use the conventional sanded-grout model. Check the grout product’s limits and tile compatibility.
Check Corners and Niche Alignment
Dry-lay a row across each wall to see where cuts land at inside corners. Include the planned grout joints and corner movement gaps, then compare the end pieces on adjoining walls. Adjust your starting point if it leaves narrow strips at a corner.
Mark the horizontal and vertical grout lines around each niche before setting tile. Adjust the starting row or column to align niche edges with grout lines where the dimensions allow, then check the cuts on its back and returns. Use the tile layout planner to compare edge cuts on one rectangular wall at a time; it does not subtract niches, so check the pieces around the opening on site.
Turn the estimate into a store list
For individual tiles, enter box coverage or tiles per box; coverage takes priority. For mosaic sheets, enter the coverage printed on each sheet and optionally sheets per box. Individual tile size continues to drive grout. Boxes round up separately for wall and floor tile.
Grout bags also round separately for each surface. Keep the wall and floor grout orders separate, using the conventional sanded or unsanded quantity model shown.
BEFORE YOU BUY
Shower tile calculator questions
How do I calculate how much tile I need for my shower?+
Add each wall’s width × height, then subtract the area of windows or other untiled openings. For a tiled niche, subtract its front opening, then add the back and returns selected as tiled with the wall tile. For example, a 12 × 24 inch niche 4 inches deep with all five surfaces tiled changes the default walls from 82.6667 to 84.6667 sq ft and needs 759 tiles at 12% extra. Measure the floor separately. Add a cutting allowance to each area and divide by that tile’s face area. Walls and floor get separate counts because they usually use different tile sizes. Curbs and benches need to be measured separately.
How many sq ft of tile do I need for a shower?+
A standard 60 × 32 inch alcove shower tiled 96 inches high on three walls (60 + 32 + 32 inches wide) has 82.7 sq ft of wall and 13.3 sq ft of floor, before any cutting allowance. Measure your own shower: wall height and width change the wall area, and the floor’s length and width change the floor area.
How much tile do I need for a typical shower?+
For that 60 × 32 inch shower, 3 × 6 inch wall tile with 12% extra comes to 741 wall tiles (92.6 sq ft). The floor with 2 × 2 inch tile and 15% extra needs 552 tiles (15.3 sq ft). For mosaic purchasing, select Mosaic sheet and enter actual coverage: 15.3333 sq ft ÷ 0.90 sq ft per sheet rounds up to 18 sheets. Order walls and floor separately; no openings are deducted in this example.
How much extra tile should I buy for a shower?+
This calculator starts at 12% for half offset wall tile and 15% for the shower floor. Straight wall tile starts at 10%, diagonal at 15%. Adjust each allowance for your cuts and spare tile needs; changing the wall pattern preserves a manually edited wall allowance.
How much grout do I need for my shower?+
It depends on tile size, joint width and depth. In the 60 × 32 inch example, the 3 × 6 inch wall tile with 1/16 inch joints needs 7.77 lb in the conventional unsanded-grout model and the 2 × 2 inch floor with 1/8 inch joints needs 4.13 lb in the conventional sanded-grout model, both including 10% extra. Check the selected product’s joint range, tile compatibility and shower approval before ordering. Small floor tile uses far more grout per square foot than the walls. The grout calculator works this out for any tile and joint.
Is 12x24 tile too big for a shower?+
Not for the walls: 12 × 24 inch tile is common on shower walls and leaves fewer grout lines to clean. The floor is different. It slopes to the drain, and on a floor that slopes in several directions toward a center drain, large tile only sits flat if it is cut along the slope lines (envelope cuts), so smaller tile is the usual choice there. Large tile without those cuts suits a floor sloped in one plane to a linear drain. Check the tile maker’s instructions for shower floor use; this calculator takes wall and floor tile sizes separately.