You have built your dream house. Now it’s time to decorate it. Or, you are looking to spice up your home a bit. In either case, tiles can help you greatly. Well then, you have made your mind to use tiles. But you don’t know how many tiles you’ll need to cover your room. Worry not, in the following article we’ll go step by step to help you determine the number of tiles you need.
A Little Geometry
Remember in school you had to learn geometry. You thought you’ll never need them again. But the number of tiles can be calculated with two very easy geometrical knowledge. Let’s review the formulas that you’ll need.
- Area of a rectangle = Length x width
- Area of a circle = 3.14 x( radius x radius)
You may ask, how do I remember which is length or width. Or, how can I measure the radius or when should I measure the radius? Well, The length is the largest part of your room, and the other measurement is the width. And when the space is circular, you’ll need to measure the radius. We’ll cover the way of measuring in our next paragraph. We have attached a picture below to give you a better understanding of the length, width & radius.
Measuring the Room
It’s a crucial part to help you measure your room. We’ll go over the whole process with 5 easy steps. And if you follow them properly, you can successfully measure your space. The things you need to start measuring are
- A pen or pencil
- A note pad
- A measuring tape
- And a calculator
Let’s start measuring your room.
#Step 1: Place one end of your measuring tape in a corner of your room, and go over the length of your room till you reach another corner. Record your length. Then do the same for the width.
#Step 2: Calculate the area.
#Step 3: Go over the length and width of the tile. Calculate its area.
#Step 4: Divide the area of your room with the area of the tile. You get the number of the tile you need. If the answer comes in decimal, take the next full number.
#Step 5: Multiply the number of the tile you got in the previous step with 10, then divide it by one hundred. If the result comes in decimal, take the next full number. It’s the number of tiles that you’ll need extra. Add both numbers you got in step 4 and 5. This is the number of tiles you need for your floor to decorate.
All this math may confuse you. Let us give you an example.
Let the length of a room be 500 centimeters and the width be 375 centimeters.
Then the area of the room is 187500 square centimeters.
Now, let the length of a tile be 30 centimeters, and the width be 20 centimeters. So the area of the tile is 600 square centimeters.
Dividing the area of the room with the area of the tile, we get (187500/600) or, 312.5
Let’s take the next full number which is 313
Now, multiply the number by 10 and divide it by 100, we have ( 313 x 10/ 100) or, 31.3. Let’s take the next full number which is 32.
So, you need (313+32) or 345 tiles to cover it with the tile.
These steps will help you to instantly know the area of a rectangular or square shape floor. But if your room is not a rectangular shape, but can be divided into a rectangular shape. Like the picture below, the room is divided into three rectangles A, B & C. Determine the areas of each rectangle separately and add them. That’s how you get the total area. Then follow the steps, and you get the total number of tiles.
If the shape of your room is a circle, measure it across the room evenly then divide it by 2. That’s the radius of your room. Then multiply it with 3.14 and the radius. That’s how you get the area. Let’s give an example,
Let the measurement of your room across it be 300 centimeters. Divided it by 2 we have (300/2) or 150. Then multiply it with 3.14 and the radius, we have ( 3.14 x 150 x 150 ) or 70,650 square centimeters. Repeat step 5 and you get the number of tiles you need to buy.
If you are installing tiles on the wall, grab the measurement of the length & height of the wall. Calculate the area. Then calculate the area of the door, windows, and other wall-mounted furniture in the same process. Then subtract it from the total area. Repeat step 5, and you get the number of the tiles you need.
Factors to be Considered
Counting the number of tiles can be challenging for some. Some online calculators can give you the exact number when you input the measurement of your room. The 10% extra tiles are there to make sure that you have enough tiles if any tile gets damaged due to an accident. Or if you need any repair in the future.
Conclusion
We hope this article will help you to determine the number of tiles you need effectively. And if you are working on a DIY project, this can be a guide to you. Decorate your home the way you love. Because a happy home environment can remove your tiredness instantly.
