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Calculating amount of tile for backsplash (help please)

13 years ago

I'm really, really over thinking this and need some help.

To calculate how many square feet of tile I need, I take length x width, right? So I can break my back splash up into rectangles and calculate....I get 47 square feet.

But my tile isn't square. It's funky shaped. Does that matter? It has to matter, right? Because I can't re-use cut pieces.

The tile I'm buying is arabesque (think Morocco).

Each individual tile is 6.25 tall x 5.25 wide at the widest point. It is curvy and the pieces fit together.

I found it on close out....so I need to order the right amount...no returns and likely I can't order more. I'm still 2 weeks from installed cabinets.

In one spot the splash is standard 18 high.

Another spot it goes up behind the hood to the 8' ceiling

Behind the sink (peninsula) it is only 6.5" tall

and on the pantry it is 20" tall.

I would be happy to email my cabinet drawings to anyone willing to take a look.

thanks so much for helping me think this through. I'm really stressed!

No, I haven't found anyone to install the tile yet. So I don't have someone to ask. That would be too easy.

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Comments (5)

joep_2009
13 years ago
One thing to consider is if you can't reuse cut pieces, the amount of tile you need could go up a lot.
bill_vincent
13 years ago
Seems to me someone was given a free backsplash installed with this tile.

As for area, yes-- length times width will give you square footage. With this tile, I'd tack on another 15% just to be safe if you won't be able to get any more (just in case).
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length times height will equal NET SqFt in your example - 1.5 x 20 = 30 SqFt NET you'll need to add an "overage" amount for cutting and waste - conventional applications usually will be anywhere from 10 to 15% added to the NET on a diagonal, the overage factor could go up to 30% in some extreme cases... this would mean that you'd need as much as 42 sqFt to finish a 30 SqFt application.. If you are having the work done by a pro, let him so the math - that's what he gets paid for.. If you are a DIYer - go "fat" on your quantity as you will be in the learning curve the entire time, and running out of tile on a Sunday Night - when you wanted to get everything done so you could go back to work on Monday - sucks..... hope that helps kevin Kevin M. Padden Fabricator, Trainer & Consultant to the Natural Stone Industry www.azschoolofrock.com
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Thanks for the feedback and compliments on the granite everyone. It sounds like all of you are on the same page and think I should wait. I am having a hard time figuring out how to make that happen. Our kitchen project is a remodel and we hired a general contractor to do the work. His crew does most of the work. Our project is scheduled to take six weeks. With the lead time on the tile, I can't wait until the cabinets and granite are installed and still have the backsplash completed as part of the project. Would you all still just wait? The pictures were taken in my current kitchen and the amount of lighting won't be changing. We live in a heavily shaded area and we have very little natural light in our kitchen even with windows along the back of the house. The amount of light wont be a lot different in the new kitchen. I know the piece of granite is just a small part of the slab but with some of the grey and tan tones in the floor tile I thought the smoke would work better overall. I think I am going to drive myself crazy with all of the decisions that have to be made before this project is over...
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chloesmom, your kitchen is beautiful! I was so hesitant about dark cabinets but seeing yours, katienic's and others here have convinced me that my kitchen will be beautiful with the dark cabinets. I love what you did for the backsplash areas, it's so creative! You've given me some ideas as the areas I have to cover are similar to yours in size (under the counters and the space behind your sink). I love how you combined the glass with the subway tiles. I'm going to ask my KD if that can be done. Remodelfa, unfortunately I'm not a DIYer so have no idea how to cut tiles in half! But those are good ideas. I'm going to Home Depot today to see what they offer. Wildcat22, thank you! There is no name behind the sample but there is a company name. If you look on http://granitplus.com/en/index.php under classic granite #105, that is the one. Actually, going on the website has opened my eyes to other options! One little piece of granite does not give you the same impression when you see the entire slab! I'm going to check out other options now!
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I'm back, with my kitchen pretty far along now, but I still have a question about the tile! Originally I had thought I was going to use white subway tile, but I found this beautiful matte 3x3 gray ceramic tile at the Heath Ceramics factory for a very good discount, and couldn't say no. My cabinets are all in, the range hood is up, I have mounted 2 wooden shelves to the right of the hood. The plan is to tile everything under the upper cabs, filling the wall space. The tile will go up to the bottom of the range hood. I'm ending the tile horizontally at the outer edge of the open shelving. Now my big question is: do I end the tile vertically at the bottom shelf , i.e.- in line with bottom of upper cabs, or tile up to the bottom of the upper shelf, i.e.- in line with the hood? Any advice or opinions much appreciated! I'm attaching some pictures, very messy as the tiling is in progress. The tiles appear darker in the photos than they do in real life, and especially in daylight, which my kitchen gets a lot of. The actual shelves are not up right now, just the brackets. I'm also attaching a photo of the materials/colors used in the kitchen: white, wood, carrara marble, gray ceramic.
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bill_vincent
13 years ago
Here it is:

Here is a link that might be useful: Same exact tile
dlr98004
13 years ago
You should lay out everything to decide how many tiles you need for your finished layout - not just square footage. In Bill's link above, notice how her tiles start and stop on a whole one (perfect spacing!) - but yours might not lay out that exact same way. Same thing on the edges. How do you plan to finish the tile/drywall edge? Also, if you have an inside corner to "wrap", it is ideal if you can "wrap" the cut tile around the bend - it looks like it is "folded" into the corner - that is advance tile setting, but it looks great. It also requires more tiles. Once you know how many "fancy cuts" you have to make, you can judge more accurately how many extras to order. All depends on your skill as a tile cutter!

Those are beautiful tiles - can't wait to see the final result.

Here is a link that might be useful: tips on inside corner tile wrap
beachbum
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the thoughts. I hadn't seen that "free" backsplash...what a treat!

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