How to Plan a Tile Layout: 4 Methods Tile Installers Actually Use (Plus a Free Tile Layout Planner)

By Alex, residential tile installer and founder of TileForeman.

Every tile job starts with the same problem: figure out where the tiles are going to land before you spread thinset. Get the layout right and the wall looks intentional, balanced, and clean. Get it wrong and you end up with a 1/2" sliver at the corner, an off-center focal point, or three different cut sizes that should have been one. The homeowner won't always know exactly what's wrong, but they'll feel it.

This is the part of the job that separates installers who've been doing it for 10 years from installers who are still learning. It's not about the cuts themselves — anybody can run a wet saw. It's about deciding where the cuts should land before any tile gets set.

Here are the four methods tile installers use to plan a tile layout, ranked by how I actually use them, plus a free tile layout planner I built specifically for tile guys.

The 4 Methods Tile Installers Use to Plan a Layout

Method 1: Dry Lay Tile on the Floor with Spacers

The classic method. You take the tiles, you lay them out on the floor exactly how they'll go on the wall, you put spacers between them, and you measure the cuts at each end.

How it works:

• Mark the wall dimensions with chalk on the driveway or shop floor
• Lay out a row of full tiles end to end with spacers between them
• Measure the gap at each end — that's your cut size
• Adjust by sliding the row left or right to balance the cuts
• Repeat for vertical tile layout (stack the tiles up)

Pros:

• You see the actual tile, the actual grout joint, the actual cut
• You can hand-cut a sample piece and check it physically
• Old-school installers swear by it because they trust what they can touch
• Works perfectly when you don't have a phone, signal, or app

Cons:

• Takes 20–45 minutes per surface
• Requires open floor space (often means setting up outside or in the driveway)
• You move the tiles 3–4 times before you commit
• Hard to test multiple layouts (do you do running bond? 1/3 offset? straight lay?)
• Wears your knees and back out before you've even started the actual installation

When I still use it: Complex patterns I can't visualize easily. Mosaics with irregular edges. Real natural stone where each piece varies in size. When the homeowner is right there and wants to see physical tiles before approving the layout.

Method 2: Measure the Wall, Calculate the Cuts on Paper

The math approach. Take wall dimensions, divide by tile size plus grout joint, calculate how many full tiles fit, do the math on the leftover.

How it works:

• Measure the wall: width and height
• Measure your tile: length and width
• Add grout joint to tile dimensions (tile + grout = effective tile size)
• Divide wall dimensions by effective tile size
• The whole number = full tiles, the remainder = cut size
• Decide whether to put the cut at one end, split it across both ends, or center the layout

Example:

• Wall: 60" wide
• Tile: 12" wide with 1/8" grout joint = 12.125" effective
• 60 ÷ 12.125 = 4.95 (4 full tiles + 11.5" remaining)
• If you split: 5.75" cut on each side
• If you put it all at one end: one full tile column + one 11.5" column

Pros:

• Fast (5–10 minutes once you're used to it)
• Doesn't require any physical setup
• Can be done sitting in your truck before walking the job
• Easy to test multiple configurations on paper

Cons:

• You have to do the math correctly (and grout joint math is where mistakes happen)
• Hard to visualize patterns like running bond (the offset adds complexity)
• Doesn't show you what the layout looks like — you're imagining it
• No way to optimize beyond your gut feel
• Takes longer if you need to test 3 different starting points

When I use it: Quick estimates during a walkthrough. When I'm checking if a layout will work for the client's preferred tile size. When I'm trying to see if a small change in grout joint avoids a tiny sliver.

Method 3: Measure Directly on the Wall with a Pencil

The eye-the-wall method. Mark the centerline, then walk out from center using your tile size + grout joint, marking where each tile lands.

How it works:

• Find the centerline of the wall (or focal point — like center of a niche)
• Hold a tile against the wall with a spacer
• Mark where the next tile starts
• Continue marking out from center toward each edge
• The remainder at each edge = your cut size
• Adjust if the cut is too small or unbalanced

Pros:

• You see exactly where every tile lands
• Catches obstructions immediately (outlets, niches, soap dishes)
• Quick when you've done it 1,000 times
• Works in any space, no driveway needed
• Direct connection between layout and the actual surface

Cons:

• Requires you to physically be in the space
• Slow if the wall is awkward (high ceilings, tight bathrooms)
• Hard to test alternatives — once you've marked it, marking again is a hassle
• Erasing pencil marks from the substrate is annoying
• Doesn't help when planning the estimate before the demo is done

When I use it: During the actual installation, after demo. As a final verification step before I spread thinset. When the wall has a focal point I want to perfectly center (niche, window, fixture).

Method 4: Use a Tile Layout Planner (Software)

The modern approach. Input the wall dimensions, the tile size, and the grout joint, and let the software calculate the layout for you.

How it works:

• Enter wall dimensions
• Enter tile dimensions
• Select pattern (running bond, straight lay, herringbone, etc.)
• Set grout joint width
• The software shows the full layout, every cut size, and the total tile count
• Adjust the starting point or pattern to optimize

Pros:

• Takes 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes
• Shows you the visual layout so you don't have to imagine it
• Tests multiple configurations instantly
• Calculates exact cut sizes and counts
• Can be done before you even arrive at the job site
• Helper can use it to start cutting tile while you set up the wall

Cons:

• Doesn't replace physical verification on complex patterns
• Software has to actually be designed for tile (most generic calculators aren't)
• Requires a phone with battery and signal (occasionally an issue on remote job sites)

When I use it: Almost every job now. Quick estimating during walkthroughs. Pre-cutting tile so my helper can start while I'm prepping the wall. Testing different patterns to show the homeowner before committing.

The Free Tile Layout Planner I Built for Tile Installers

After 10+ years of doing dry layouts on driveways and pencil marks on walls, I built a tile layout planner specifically for tile installers. It's part of TileForeman, the app I've been building for residential tile contractors.

The Dry Layout feature in TileForeman does this:

• Input wall dimensions (any width and height)
• Input tile size (any dimensions, including rectangular tiles for running bond)
• Set your grout joint (1/16", 1/8", 3/16", 1/4", 3/8" — fraction chips, not decimals)
• Pick your pattern (straight lay, running bond, 1/3 offset, herringbone)
• Drag to adjust starting point to balance the cuts at each edge
• See the full visual layout with full tiles in blue and cuts highlighted in red
• Get exact cut measurements at every edge so your helper can pre-cut

You can run a layout in 30 seconds during a walkthrough, save it to the job, and reference it later when you're actually setting tile.

It's free during beta. Sign up at tileforeman.com.

The reason I built it: I was tired of doing dry layouts on the driveway every single job. I was tired of doing cut math on paper. I wanted something that lived on my phone, took 10 seconds, and showed me the layout the way I'd actually see it on the wall.

If you do tile work, try it. If it's not useful for you, no worries — but most tile installers I've shown it to want it on their phone immediately.

How to Choose the Right Layout Method for Your Job

Here's the decision tree I actually follow:

• Quick estimating during a walkthrough: Tile layout planner (software). 30 seconds and you have answers. Great for showing the homeowner what their wall will look like.
• Final verification before setting tile: Pencil marks on the wall. Direct, physical, accounts for any irregularities you missed.
• Complex patterns (mosaic, herringbone, mixed sizes): Dry layout on the floor. Some patterns just don't render correctly in your head — you have to see the physical tile.
• Pre-cutting tile so your helper can start working: Tile layout planner with cut list export. Hand the phone to your helper, they cut, you set up the wall.
• Standard 12x24 running bond on a regular bathroom wall: Tile layout planner. Done in 30 seconds. Move on.

The best installers use multiple methods on the same job. Software for the planning, dry layout for the verification on complex patterns, pencil on the wall for the final commit. Each method has its place.

What Bad Layout Planning Costs You

If you skip the layout planning step, here's what happens:

• Slivers at the corners. Less than 1/2" cut at the edge looks bad and is hard to set cleanly. You'll redo it or live with it forever.
• Off-center focal points. Niche, window, or shower head not centered on the tile pattern. Homeowner will notice every time they look at it.
• Wasted tile. Buying 15–20% extra to account for cuts you didn't plan, when proper layout could have used 8–10% waste max.
• Crew confusion. Helper cuts tile wrong because the layout wasn't communicated. Now you're short tiles and the supply house closed at 5pm.
• Lost time on the job. Re-measuring, re-cutting, redoing layout decisions on the fly costs 1–3 hours per project. Multiply that by every job and it's real money.

A 30-second tile layout plan prevents all of this. The math says you should always do it. The discipline says most installers skip it because the manual methods take too long.

That's the whole reason a tile layout planner is worth using.

Common Tile Layout Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

A few specific traps to watch for:

• Centering on the wall instead of on the focal point. If there's a shower niche, window, or fixture, center the tile layout on THAT, not on the geometric center of the wall. The eye finds the focal point first.
• Forgetting grout joint in calculations. A 12" tile with 1/8" grout joint is effectively 12.125", not 12. The 0.125" compounds — over 8 tiles you've added a full inch you didn't account for.
• Not testing multiple starting points. Every layout has 3–5 reasonable starting positions. Try them all. The "best" layout balances cuts and centers the focal point.
• Ignoring tile rectification. Modern porcelain is rectified to a consistent size. Old natural stone or some ceramic varies. Plan for the variance with slightly larger grout joints if needed.
• Picking the pattern before measuring the wall. Running bond looks great on a wall where it doesn't create giant slivers. Sometimes the wall demands straight lay. Let the dimensions inform the pattern, not the other way around.
• Doing the layout once and committing. Walls have surprises. Walk it after substrate prep but before you set tile. Verify your plan against reality.

The Bottom Line

Tile layout planning isn't optional. It's the difference between a job that looks intentional and a job that looks like an installer just started cutting tile and hoping for the best.

The four methods all work:

• Dry lay on the floor with spacers (slow but reliable for complex patterns)
• Math on paper (fast but requires accurate calculations)
• Pencil marks on the wall (good for final verification)
• Tile layout planner software (fastest, most flexible, easiest to share)

I built TileForeman's Dry Layout planner because I wanted a tool that did all the math instantly, showed me the visual layout, and let me adjust the starting point with a drag of my finger. Free in beta if you want to try it: tileforeman.com.

Whichever method you choose, the rule is the same: plan the layout BEFORE you spread thinset. Every minute spent planning saves an hour of regret later.

Cheers, Alex Tile installer, 10+ years | Founder of TileForeman