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).
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.