Question 1

How many extra tiles or planks should I buy?

Accepted Answer

The calculator counts every cut piece from the drawn layout and reuses offcuts where it can, so cutting waste is already included. The extra margin covers breakage, faulty pieces and spares for later repairs: about 5 % for a straight grid, 7 % for offset patterns and 10–15 % for diagonal layouts.

Question 2

Why should I avoid thin cuts along the walls?

Accepted Answer

Very narrow pieces are hard to cut, break easily, bond poorly and make the floor look unbalanced. A common rule is to keep edge cuts at least a third of a piece wide. Moving the starting point by a few centimetres usually solves it, which is what the Optimize button does.

Question 3

Should I start in the centre of the room or against a wall?

Accepted Answer

Starting from the centre gives equal cuts on opposite walls, which looks balanced in most rooms. Starting from a wall keeps whole pieces along the wall you see first, such as a doorway or a straight kitchen run.

Question 4

How much grout and tile adhesive do I need?

Accepted Answer

Grout depends on the joint width, the tile thickness and the tile size; adhesive mostly on the trowel notch, from about 1.6 kg/m² with a 4 mm notch to 5 kg/m² with 12 mm. The calculator shows both with a small margin. Always check the product data sheet.

Question 5

Can I use it for wall tiles?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Enter the wall width as X and the height as Y. For a window or a door, use the combination mode and build the wall from rectangles around the opening.

Question 6

Do I need a mask to cut tiles?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when you cut or grind with power tools. Tiles and stone release crystalline silica, which causes permanent lung disease. Cut wet when you can, wear an FFP3 mask (EN 149) and never dry-sweep the dust. Scoring with a manual tile cutter makes very little dust.