Tile bathrooms.
Tiles and boxes for a shower or tub surround. Calculates three walls plus optional niche and floor — with cut waste built in.
How we calculated this
The calculator treats a shower as three tile surfaces: back wall, two side walls, and an optional floor/ceiling. Standard tub surrounds run 60 inches wide × 32 inches deep × 96 inches tall to the ceiling (or 60-72 inches tall for a tub surround only, without reaching the ceiling). Walk-in showers vary — measure the actual back and side dimensions.
Niches add complexity. A standard 14 × 24 inch niche carved into the back wall: the opening itself (14 × 24 = 336 sq in) is subtracted from the back wall area, then all five interior surfaces (two sides, top, bottom, back) are added. Net: a typical niche adds a small amount of tile (1-2 sq ft) rather than subtracting from the total.
Shower floor (for walk-in showers): add the floor area to the wall total. Drop-in tubs have no tiled floor (the tub is the floor). Many walk-in showers use smaller mosaic tile on the floor for grip — if using different tile on the floor, calculate separately.
Waste factor is 15% — higher than standard floor tile because shower walls have many edges, corners, and fixture cutouts (valve openings, shower head, niche boundaries). Every cut produces scrap that rarely gets reused. Large-format tile (12×24, 24×24) in showers pushes waste up further because bigger scraps are less reusable.
Tiles round up to whole tiles; boxes round up to whole boxes. Buy at least 1-2 extra boxes beyond the calculator's count for future repairs. Shower tile gets chipped by dropped shampoo bottles and razors; matching replacement tile years later is rarely possible.
Not included: backer board (cement board or foam board behind the tile — see drywall calculator for area), waterproofing membrane (recommended: 1 roll covers about 30 sq ft), thinset (1 bag of 50-lb per 40-50 sq ft), grout (see grout calculator), niche trim pieces, and fixtures (shower head, valve, soap dish).
Shower tile is a waterproofing job with tile on top
The tile in your shower is decorative. The waterproofing membrane underneath is what actually keeps water out of your walls. Every failed shower tile job (mold behind the wall, rotted studs, water stains on the ceiling below) is a waterproofing failure, not a tile failure. The membrane must cover every square inch of the shower enclosure with sealed seams at every corner, every niche, and every penetration for the shower valve and showerhead.
How we calculated these numbers▾
Area calculations use the standard tub/shower dimensions (60×30 for tub combo, 36×48 for walk-in) with user-adjustable tile height. Waste factor of 12% accounts for cuts at corners and around plumbing penetrations. Waterproofing quantities from Schluter and Laticrete installation guides.
For floor tile outside the shower, use the tile calculator. For grout quantities, the grout calculator handles any tile size and joint width combination.
Sources
- Tile Council of North America — Wet Area Installation — Industry standards for shower tiling and waterproofing
- Schluter Systems — Shower Construction Guide — Wet-area installation and niche design references
Frequently asked
How many tiles do I need for a standard shower?
For a standard 60 × 32 × 96 inch tub surround (3 walls only, to ceiling) using 12×24 tiles with 15% waste, you need about 60 tiles or 8 boxes of 8. Walk-in showers with a floor need 10-15% more tile. Include a niche adds another ~2 ft² of tile.
Should I use the same tile on floor and walls?
You can — but slip resistance is a concern on wet floors. For shower floors, use tiles with DCOF ≥ 0.42 (slip rating) or switch to small mosaic tile (under 2 inches) where grout lines provide grip. Walls don't have this concern. Many showers pair large wall tile with small mosaic floor tile for this reason.
Why is shower waste 15% instead of 10%?
Showers have more edges, corners, and cutouts than floors. Fixture penetrations (shower head, valve, tub spout, niche edges) each require precise cuts that leave unusable scraps. Large-format wall tile makes this worse because each cut wastes a bigger piece.
What about the ceiling?
Most showers don't tile the ceiling — use moisture-resistant drywall with mildew-resistant paint instead. If you do tile the ceiling (for a steam shower or luxury finish), calculate the ceiling area separately (back wall width × side depth) and add to the total. Ceiling tile is harder to install and requires special thinset.
How big should my niche be?
Standard 14 × 24 inches (the space between standard studs at 16" on center, minus framing). Smaller niches (8 × 12) fit between 2×4 framing without disrupting studs. Multiple small niches are sometimes preferable to one large niche for organizing shampoo, conditioner, soap.
What about curbs and benches?
Not automatically calculated. A standard curb (the barrier at the shower entrance) is about 6 × 4 × 36 inches — adds ~1 ft² of tile. A built-in bench is 15-18 × 48 inches typically — adds 3-5 ft². Add these to your total manually and bump the calculator's dimensions.
Do I need waterproofing behind tile?
Yes — modern standard. Cement board alone is not waterproof. Use a sheet membrane (like Schluter Kerdi) or liquid-applied waterproofing (like RedGard) over the backer board. Standard shower areas typically need 1 roll (40 sq ft) of sheet membrane or 1-2 gallons of liquid.
Can I do this over an existing tub surround?
Not directly on existing tile (old tile must come off first). If removing old tile, inspect the backer — water damage behind old shower tile is very common. Plan to replace the cement board, not just the tile. Factor 1-2 extra days and $200-500 in backer/waterproofing materials on top of new tile.
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