Tile Cutting and Wastage

The 10% rule

When calculating tile quantities it’s wise to include a little extra to allow for inevitable breakages and for extra cutting. Whether you choose a highly skilled tiler or are brave enough to tackle the job yourself, you’ll always need a few spare tiles to play with.

At Fired Earth we recommend you allow an extra 10% on top of your exact square meterage. This will give you the flexibility not only to practice cutting, but will allow you to keep spares for the future should your room undergo maintenance that involves damage to the tiles.

If you’re using natural tiles, ordering extra will allow you to remove a few that might show more character than the others – veins, pitting or chipped corners, for example. It is also worth remembering that natural stone, terracotta and handmade ranges will always show a degree of variation between tiles, but when laid they blend perfectly to create a beautiful floor you will love for years to come. 

In some situations, 10% maybe be too much for your project. if you’d rather just increase by a few spares, we are able to adjust your order by individual tile numbers as well as per square metre, which is great for smaller tiling jobs.

It’s worth bearing in mind that,  when ordering, should you require a top up we cannot guarantee your tiles will come from the same batch as your initial order.

And don’t forget that if you do order too many, you can return excess tiles within 30 days as long as they are in full boxes.