Just counted the leftover tiles from my kitchen floor and it was exactly 12

I mean, I measured everything twice and used one of those online tile calculators, so I thought I'd maybe have 3 or 4 extra pieces. I bought 10 boxes, which was 120 tiles total for the whole job. When I finished and swept up, I stacked the leftovers and there were a full dozen just sitting there. Idk, it just felt like a weirdly perfect number after all that work. Has anyone else ended up with a round number of leftover materials like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

fionas392mo ago

Ever think those online calculators are always right? I used to swear by them for everything, like when I did my own backsplash. Measured twice, put in the exact numbers, and it said I'd need 7 boxes. I bought 8 just to be safe and ended up with almost a full box left over. It made me realize they probably add in a huge buffer so you don't run out. Your 12 leftover tiles is kind of satisfying though, like the math worked out perfectly for once.

jade322mo ago

Those calculators are usually way off in my experience, they never account for cuts and waste right. I always add 15% extra myself, which for your 120 tiles would be 18 pieces, so you were actually under that buffer. Ending up with a clean dozen is just a lucky coincidence, not perfect math.

grayb641mo ago

12 tiles leftover is a solid win, no doubt. But @fionas39, those calculators aren't always right. I did my living room floor last year, 180 square feet. Calculator said 9 boxes. I bought 10, figured I'd play it safe. Ended up with 14 tiles left over. That's a whole box plus some. They definitely overestimate to cover their own butts. Your leftover dozen is just the universe balancing out, not a sign the math is perfect.