Straight Lay
Aligned joints form a continuous grid. Follow the marked edge pieces around the room to see where full rows meet the walls.
Half Offset
Alternate rows shift by half a tile. This changes the end cuts on every other row. Check the tile maker’s permitted offset before choosing this layout.
Third Offset
Rows shift by one third of a tile, repeating over three rows. Compare the different end pieces along each wall before laying out your first row.
Diagonal 45°
The grid rotates through 45 degrees. Hatched pieces show the angled cuts around the perimeter, including small corners. Each separate piece consumes a fresh tile in this estimate.
Herringbone
Rectangular tiles meet at right angles, with their long edges at 45 degrees to the walls. The V tip starts on the room centerline and the V rows follow the longer room edge. Hatched pieces show perimeter cuts; each cut consumes a fresh tile. Square tiles cannot use this planner pattern.
How 12x24 Tile Patterns Change Your Cuts
This room produces 32 cut pieces in straight lay, 33 in half offset, 33 in third offset and 52 on the diagonal. Offset rows change how much of each edge tile remains; diagonal rows also change the cut shapes.
Joint width changes where tiles meet walls. Use the grout line size guide to compare spacing before planning your cuts.
12x24 Tile Layout: Horizontal or Vertical
Rotating the straight grid gives 72 tiles used, 32 cut pieces and 2.1% offcut material, compared with 72, 32 and 2.1% horizontally. This square room has matching totals when rotated; a rectangular room can give different edge cuts. Compare the wall or doorway where the tile direction matters most.
Centered vs Grout-Centered Start
Grout-centered on both axes gives the widest cuts at both pairs of walls in this room, avoiding thin strips. These straight-lay examples use a 120 × 144 in room: 144 in left to right and 120 in top to bottom, with the 24 in tile edge horizontal, 1/8 in joints and a 1/4 in perimeter gap.
These four layouts use the same per-axis controls as Set your starting point in the homepage planner. Choose a center start, then select “Grout joint” for grout-centered or “Tile middle” for tile-centered in each direction. A different room size can favor a different combination.
Grout-centered length / grout-centered width
A grout joint crosses the room center in both directions. This leaves nearly full tiles at all four walls.
Grout-centered length / tile-centered width
The length direction keeps a centered grout joint; the width direction centers a tile. Top and bottom cuts shrink while left and right cuts stay the same.
Tile-centered length / grout-centered width
Centering a tile in the length direction narrows the left and right edge pieces. Top and bottom cuts match the all-grout-centered layout.
Tile-centered length / tile-centered width
A tile spans the room center in both directions. This adds a row and a column compared with the all-grout-centered start, producing more cut pieces.
Tile Layout for an L-Shaped Room
An L-shaped room is two rectangles that share one tile grid. Measure each leg separately, then add the areas with + Add area in the tile calculator. Split the floor so the rectangles don't overlap.
Lay out the grid once for the whole floor. Grout lines have to run straight from one leg into the other, so choose the starting point in the larger leg, usually the side you see from the doorway. Then check where the lines land at the inside corner and along the far wall of the smaller leg. If a sliver lands there, move the starting point; don't change the joint.
The planner draws one rectangle at a time. Plan the larger leg first, then continue its grout lines into the smaller leg and measure the edge cuts there.
Which Pattern Uses the Least Tile
Straight Lay uses the fewest tiles in this example: 72 tiles. Compare all five layouts below, then try your own room in the planner. A different room size or starting point can change the order.
| Pattern | Tiles used | Cut pieces | Offcut material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight Lay | 72 | 32 | 2.1% |
| Half Offset | 78 | 33 | 9.6% |
| Third Offset | 80 | 33 | 11.9% |
| Diagonal 45° | 100 | 52 | 29.6% |
| Herringbone | 99 | 50 | 28.9% |
Each cut piece consumes one tile; offcuts are not reused. Offcut material is the share of allocated tile face area left over after cutting. Grout joints and perimeter gaps are excluded, as are spare tiles and full-box rounding. See the tile waste and offcuts guide for how these counts affect your order.