Tools Tile Layout Planner

Tile Layout Planner

A tile layout planner lets you draw your room shape, choose a pattern, and see exactly where every tile and every cut falls — before you buy materials or pick up a tile cutter. Herron does this in your browser, for free, in about two minutes.

Why guessing your tile layout costs you money

Most people start tiling with a rough plan: buy 10% extra, begin in the centre of the room, and figure out the cuts as you go. It works — until it doesn't.

The problems show up at the edges. You reach the last row and realise you need a 15mm sliver against the wall. A cut that thin is nearly impossible to make cleanly, and even if you manage it, it looks wrong. Or you hit an L-shaped corner and discover your stagger pattern doesn't line up anymore. Or you run out of tiles on a Saturday afternoon and the exact batch is out of stock.

Dry-laying a few rows on the floor gives you a feel for the pattern, but it can't tell you what happens six rows later, or how the cuts work out in a room that isn't perfectly rectangular. The only way to know where every tile lands is to plan the entire layout in advance.

How Herron works

Draw your room shape. Click to plot your walls — any polygon, not just rectangles. Add alcoves, bay windows, or obstacles like kitchen islands. Everything is measured in millimetres (displayed with imperial equivalents).

Enter your tile dimensions. Width, length, and joint spacing. Works with any size — 300x300mm (11 13/16" sq) porcelain, 600x300mm (23 5/8" × 11 13/16") ceramics, 900x150mm (35 3/8" × 5 7/8") wood-effect planks.

Pick a pattern. Straight lay, brick bond (with adjustable offset), or herringbone. The layout recalculates instantly every time you change a setting.

See every tile and every cut. The planner clips tiles to your exact room boundary, numbers each piece, and flags problem cuts — thin slivers, awkward angles, anything that will cause trouble on site.

See your full tile layout in minutes

Draw your room, pick your tile and pattern, and see every cut before you make one. Free, no sign-up required.

Start a Project

What the planner gives you

Visual layout preview — every tile drawn to scale inside your room polygon, colour-coded by full tiles, cuts, and reused offcuts.
Cut list — a row-by-row breakdown of every piece you need to cut, with exact dimensions. No more measuring each tile against the wall individually.
Material estimate — total tiles needed, number of packs, and cost based on your price per pack. Accounts for waste from cuts.
Waste percentage — see exactly how much material ends up in the bin. Compare patterns to find the most efficient option for your room.
Fit checks — automatic warnings for thin cuts (under 30mm / 1 3/16"), slivers along walls, and any pieces that will be difficult to cut or install cleanly.

Planning on the floor vs. planning on screen

Dry-laying tiles and snapping chalk lines is the traditional way to plan, and it works — up to a point. Here's how the two approaches compare on the things that actually go wrong.

	Chalk Lines on the Floor	Tile Layout Planner on Screen
Time to set up	1-3 hours	10-20 minutes
Can you see the whole room at once?	No, you're too close	Yes, full overhead view
Does it include grout lines?	No, tiles are dry-laid	Yes, grout width is calculated
Can you compare different patterns?	Only by re-laying from scratch	Instantly; toggle between options
Does it catch thin slivers?	Usually not until too late	Yes, edge cuts are visible immediately
Material estimate accuracy	Rough (add 10% and hope)	Precise (based on your actual layout)
Physical effort	High	None

The screen doesn't replace your skills as a tiler. It replaces the guesswork that leads to expensive mistakes — the 25mm sliver on the last row, the pattern that drifts off the doorway's centreline, the box count that comes up two short on a Sunday afternoon.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free?

Yes — completely free. Drawing your room, choosing a pattern, previewing the layout, and getting the full cut list and PDF export are all free, with no account or payment required. Herron earns a small commission if you buy materials through its supplier links, which keeps the tool free for everyone.

Do I need to create an account?

No. Your project saves automatically in your browser. There's no sign-up, no email required, and nothing to install.

What tile patterns are supported?

Straight lay, brick bond (with adjustable stagger from 10% to 50%), and herringbone. These cover the vast majority of floor tiling projects. More patterns are on the roadmap.