2D Flooring Layout Planner

Guides for this job

• How to Lay Out Tiles Without Thin Cuts at the Wall
• How many tiles to buy: cuts, waste and boxes

How the calculation works

Enter the room shape (rectangle, L, U or your own drawing, with optional columns), choose the floor covering (tiles, laminate, vinyl or parquet), format, joint, laying pattern (straight, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5 or 3/4 offset, herringbone, or planks with offcut reuse) and starting point. The planner draws the layout to scale, tells full pieces from cut pieces, shows cut dimensions and calculates the quantity to buy. You can zoom, pan and export a PDF.

Formula and assumptions

Every tile sits on a grid whose step is the tile size plus the grout. Rows are shifted by 0, 1/2 or 1/3 of the step. The visible piece is the intersection of the tile with the tiled area (the room minus the wall gap); if the intersection is smaller than the tile, it is a cut piece. The purchase estimate is conservative: every cut piece counts as a new tile plus a reserve; reuse of offcuts is not included.

Worked example

Room 4 × 3 m, 60 × 30 cm tiles, 2 mm grout, 5 mm wall gap, straight lay with a tile in the centre: the planner shows full tiles in the middle and cut tiles along the walls, the total of full and cut pieces, and a purchase with a 10 % reserve rounded up to whole boxes.

More worked examples

• Room 4 × 3 m = 12 m², tile 60 × 30 cm (0.18 m²): a quick check by area gives 12 ÷ 0.18 = 66.7 tiles. The planner's purchase will be the same or higher, because every cut piece counts as a whole tile.
• Planks 120 × 20 cm with a 1/3 offset: each row is shifted by 120 ÷ 3 = 40 cm, so the joints of neighbouring rows never line up.

Tiles per m² by format (2 mm grout) and for a 12 m² room (without cuts)

What affects real consumption

• Grout width and the real (calibrated) tile size change how many tiles fit in a row.
• The starting point decides whether wide or narrow cuts end up along the walls.
• Box size and reserve determine how many tiles you actually buy.

Common mistakes

• Ignoring the wall gap (5–10 mm for laminate and parquet) that the floor needs for expansion.
• Counting only the area and forgetting that cut pieces are lost.
• Starting at a wall instead of planning the start, so narrow slivers appear at the opposite wall.
• Buying exactly the calculated quantity without a reserve and whole boxes.

Frequently asked questions

How accurate is the quantity to buy?

The layout is calculated geometrically, but the purchase is a conservative estimate: every cut piece counts as a new tile. In practice some offcuts can be reused, so the real need is often lower.

How is the planner different from the tile calculator?

The tile calculator works out material quantities (tiles, adhesive, grout). The planner shows the layout, the laying pattern and the size of each cut.

Which offset should I choose for long tiles?

For long, slightly warped tiles a 1/3 offset is usually safer than 1/2, because edge height differences are less visible; check the manufacturer's recommendation.

Can the planner be used for laminate, vinyl and parquet?

Yes. Choose the floor covering and the planks pattern with offcut reuse; the layout is drawn to scale and the quantity to buy is calculated.

Related calculators

• Self-Leveling Compound