Backsplash tile calculator

Every line shows the quantity to buy and how StudSheet got it: the spacing, the waste and the package size, so you can check it before the supply house or the quote.

In Canada (3.66 m of backsplash, 457 mm tall)

Set to Canada, the Sheet works the job out again for Ontario: metric sizes, bag sizes, the frost depth and the code notes. It doesn't just convert feet to meters. The first lines:

• 143 tiles (1.7 m²), Wall tile: 3.66 m of counter wall × 457 mm tall, less 914 mm of window, + 0.2 m² behind the range up to the hood = 1.5 m² + 10% for cuts = 141 tiles, + 2 spares (86 tiles per m²). Buy from one lot number.
• 1 × 3.78 L pail, Premixed thinset adhesive: 1.5 m² ÷ about 3.7 m² per 3.78 L with a 5 × 4 mm V-notch = 1.5 L (premixed adhesive, Custom SimpleSet’s figures).
• 1 × 4.5 kg bag, Unsanded grout: Joint volume: (76 mm + 152 mm) × 2 mm wide × 6 mm deep per tile ≈ 198 cm³ per m² × 1.5 m² ≈ 0.6 kg with 15% extra. Unsanded below 3 mm.
• 1, Grout sealer: Cement grout stains; seal it once it cures (see the grout bag).
• 1 bag, Tile spacers: Holds the first row 3 mm off the counter and keeps the joints even (lugged subway tile spaces itself).
• 1 length, Metal tile edge trim: 914 mm of open edge ÷ 2.5 m lengths, as sold. Match the tile’s thickness.

1. Turn off the breakers for the outlets in the area and check each one with a tester; take off the cover plates. Tape cardboard or plastic over the counter and the range.
2. Clean and degloss the wall; find the counter’s low spot and mark a level line one tile up from it.
3. Dry-lay a row to center the pattern on the range or the sink, so the ends don’t get slivers.
4. Set tile: spread premixed adhesive with the 3/16″ × 5/32″ V-notch, set the first row on ⅛″ spacers above the counter along the level line, and work up.
5. Cut around the outlets so the cover plates overlap the tile; fit a box extender in each box.
6. Edges: set the metal edge trim in the adhesive under the last tile at each open end.
7. Grout: after the adhesive’s wait (24 h or more, longer for bigger tile), pack the joints at 45° with the float, sponge, then buff the haze off.
8. Caulk: run silicone along the joint at the counter and up the inside corners — not grout.
9. Put the outlets back on their extenders with the longer screws, cover plates on, power back on; seal the grout once it cures (see the bag).

Must-have tools first, then the ones that help and the ones to rent for the day.

Mistakes that cost a callback or a second trip

• Starting from the counter: Counters aren’t level, so the rows drift. Start from a level line one tile up and fill the gap at the counter.
• Grout at the countertop: That joint moves and cracks. Leave it open and fill it with silicone.
• Outlets left recessed: A box buried behind the tile is unsafe and the device wobbles. Bring every box forward with an extender.
• Premixed adhesive under big or glass tile: It stays soft without air. Powdered thinset for tile over 8″, glass and stone.
• Not mixing the boxes: Tile varies from box to box. Pull from three boxes as you set.

What the calculator assumes

• Area: the run × the band height, less 36″ of run per window, + the strip behind the range up to the hood (taken as 30″ above the counter, typical).
• Waste: 10% for stacked and running bond, 18% for herringbone, + 2 spare tiles (or 1 sheet).
• Premixed adhesive (Custom SimpleSet): about 40 sq ft per gallon with a 3/16″ × 5/32″ V-notch, 20 sq ft with a ¼″ × ¼″ square notch; for tile up to 8″.
• Grout: joint volume from the tile size, joint and thickness (1/4″), ≈ 0.065 lb per cu in, +15%.
• Silicone: about 55 ft per 10.1 oz tube at a 3/16″ bead (DAP 100% silicone), +15%.
• Edge trim in 8′ 2-1/2″ (2.5 m) lengths.

The Sheet sets its code notes for the job's state or province. These are New Jersey's and Ontario's; the code reference has more. Always confirm with your building department.

• Power off, outlets brought forward: Turn off the breakers for the outlets and lights in the area and check each one with a tester before you work around it. Tile and adhesive add about ⅜″, so each box comes forward with an extender: in a tile wall the box may sit back no more than ¼″ from the finished face (NEC 314.20). Moving an outlet or adding one is electrical work: the electrical page.

What materials do I need to tile a kitchen backsplash?

For the worked example, a 12′ of backsplash, 18″ tall, the Sheet counts 10 lines with waste included, starting with wall tile (143 tiles (18 sq ft)), premixed thinset adhesive (1 × 1 gal pail), unsanded grout (1 × 10 lb bag), grout sealer (1). Each line's math is in the table above. Put in your own sizes in the backsplash calculator and every line is counted again.

How long does it take to tile a kitchen backsplash, and can I do it myself?

About 9 to 15 hours for the worked example, in 9 steps. StudSheet stamps it DIY OK: you can do this.

What tools do I need to tile a kitchen backsplash?

20 in all. The must-haves start with non-contact voltage tester, notched trowel, margin trowel, 5-gal buckets (2), grout float, grout sponges + 2 buckets. On the Sheet you mark each one as owned, to buy or to rent.

Stuck while you tile a kitchen backsplash? Ask in the Backsplashes group of the StudSheet community with this Sheet attached. Homeowners who've done it and verified pros answer, and anyone can read it.

• Tile for contractors: run this takeoff at your own prices, send the estimate, and get it signed and the deposit paid.
• Carpet a room (14′ × 12′ room): Tack strip, pad, seams and stretching — the full stretch-in install.
• Install vinyl plank flooring (14′ × 12′ floor): Click-together LVP: boxes, trim, transitions and the gaps that matter.
• Tile a floor (8′ × 5′ bathroom): Backer, thinset, tile and grout sized to your tile — bathroom, kitchen or entry, with the toilet reset when there is one.
• Hardwood and laminate floors (14′ × 12′ floor): Install solid or engineered hardwood or laminate, or sand and refinish an old wood floor.
• Tile a shower or tub surround (5′ tub surround, tiled to 7′): Backer board, waterproofing, tile, thinset and grout for a tub surround or a walk-in shower — every seam, corner and pipe sealed.
• Carpet stairs (13 steps, 3′ wide): Carpet, pad and tack strip cut step by step — waterfall or wrapped (Hollywood) — with the pile running down the stairs and the landing included.
• All 45 Sheets, across 16 trades.
• Code reference: frost depths, guard heights, stairs, retaining walls.