Tile Layout Desk / FIELD NOTES
Planner calculation method and limitations
The engine calculates distribution across width and length separately, then combines the axes into a grid. Custom outlines clip this grid to the room’s interior. Input lengths are converted to millimeters and rounded to one hundredth of a millimeter for calculation.
Grid spacing
One repeat equals tile size plus grout width. A 600 mm tile with a 3 mm joint repeats every 603 mm. The engine repeats that spacing and clips each tile at the room boundary. A region occupied entirely by grout is not counted as a tile piece.
Three starting points
Tile-centered mode aligns a tile center with the room center. Joint-centered mode aligns the middle of a joint. Corner start places the first tile edge at zero. The selected mode applies to both axes.
Edges and warnings
A cut piece is smaller than a whole tile along at least one axis. The warning below 50 mm is a comparison aid, not an installation standard or structural assessment. Plans are limited to 10,000 pieces and 400 repeats per axis for responsiveness.
A deliberately limited model
Diagonal tile layouts, curved walls, staggered rows, interior obstacles and offcut reuse are not calculated. The drawing does not replace on-site checks. Imperial inputs use the exact conversion 1 inch = 25.4 mm.
Drawing a room with recesses
Choose an L or U preset, or Draw my outline. Place corners in order around the room. Grid clicks snap to 5% of the drawing area without constraining wall angles. X/Y inputs allow exact coordinates in the selected unit, measured from the top-left corner.
Outlines accept 3 to 40 corners with no crossings, overlapping walls or interior holes. Click the orange starting point or Close room. Repeated points and intermediate clicks on the same wall are ignored. Closing connects the final corner directly to the first, including at an oblique angle. Undo reopens a closed outline or removes the last corner; Close room recalculates the layout.
Area and cuts follow the actual shape
The grid is centered on the outline’s bounding rectangle. The engine splits the room into vertical strips and calculates their exact intersection with every tile. Areas outside the room are excluded from surface area and quantities. Two disconnected fragments within the same grid cell count as two fresh tiles in this conservative estimate.
For a custom outline, the smallest cut cannot be summarized by one dimension: inspect the shape in the plan. Dimensions and units are set inside the editor, under Drawing scale for a custom outline. The plan fits the room outline; its dimensions show the outline’s maximum width and height, not the drawing area or sloping wall lengths. Changing its width or length scales the whole outline rather than moving one wall. Save and restore include the room shape.