Why Your Bathroom Remodel Needs 12% More Tile Than You Think
The math behind tile overage — cuts, waste, future repairs, and the reason discontinued tile is a real problem.
The baseline: 10% for straight lays
The industry rule is 10% waste for a straight-lay pattern. That covers cuts at walls, drains, and niches, plus a handful of broken tiles. For a 40-square-foot shower floor, that's an extra 4 sq ft — usually a full box or half box on top.
Add 5% for pattern
Diagonal? Herringbone? Chevron? Add 5% more — 15% total. The cuts at the perimeter double, and pattern matching means more tiles rejected at the setter's discretion.
The forgotten 2%: future repairs
Tile lines get discontinued. Manufacturer dye lots shift year over year. A tile you can buy today might not exist in 24 months when you need to replace a cracked one. Buying an extra 2% and storing it in the attic is the cheapest insurance in the project.
So — 12% is the honest number
10 (cuts) + 2 (dye lot / future) = 12% for a straight lay. 17% for pattern. Matly's generated tile quantity always includes the overage — with a note explaining the math.
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