I've always heard 10% so that's what we did. We didn't actually need any in our most recent project so have tons left over. It may also depend on the particular supplier--we did initially order tile from Home Depot that was awful and had a huge amount of breakage and chips, but we took it back and switched to a different tile from a local tile shop and nothing was chipped or broken for the second line (same size/shape/style of tile).

The answer is somewhat affected by the footprint of the room and the size of the tiles. When you have larger tiles, there is the possibility of more wastage. I suggest you post a dimensioned floorplan and describe the size of the tiles.

If you're paying for the material separately you can return the extra. If the flooring is quoted as a lump sum, the 'extra' will be the property of the contractor. Make sure up front that you'll own the extra you're buying.

As an estimator I was always taught and use 15% as my guideline. That being said, material, availability of, pattern or layout requirements all play a huge part in the equation.

@artemis78 Similar to our experiences with non specialized retail warehouses that leave their materials out in the open to be handled & picked through many times before someone purchases. Often these are also mixed lots & seconds in order to get those prices. 25% overage is cheaper to buy than having to find, ship & reload the project.

Professional tile warehouse, 10-15% for non patterned small format tile. 24x48 at least 15% and think about laying it out on paper to see the unusable wasted edges. Lots of footage.

Go big if its special order in this challenging supply chain.

I order 15-17% overage for porcelain or ceramic and 20-25% for natural stone. I order 20% for special order tile with long lead times. If there is a pattern match, I order 25% or more depending on the size of the tile and the pattern repeat. Some places allow for returns of full boxes and some allow returns but with a restocking fee. You should always keep extra in case you have to repair the tile at some point.

Hi, Susan,

If you have a contractor, why are you ordering materials?

We're working w/ a design build firm and their in-house designer took us to their preferred vendor and after "shopping" with the designer, we pay the vendors directly

Hi, Susan,

That would be an unusual arrangement, at least in my experience. Typically, contractors are responsible for furnishing all labor, materials, subcontract labor, and supervision required to turn a set of plans into reality. Inserting the client in the purchasing process other than making selections adds to the potential for mistakes.

It varies from product to product, and room to room, especially size of product and room. I've installed planks in an entire house and had virtually zero waste: maybe enough for a wastebasket. I recently installed LVP in 2 bathrooms and literally had no tiles left to use after ordering what I thought was 20% extra.