Skip to calculator
MaterialCalc

—online—visits

MaterialCalc — Shower Tile & Waterproofing Calculator

Estimate prepared 09/01/2026. Estimates only; verify against your plans before ordering.

Shower Tile & Waterproofing Calculator

To the ceiling is common. 84 in is a typical stopping point.

%

Fifteen percent for straight lay. Twenty for herringbone.

Result

Loading…

Tile and grout are not waterproof. The membrane behind them is, and a shower that leaks is a wall that comes out. This works out the tile area for an alcove or corner shower, plus the thinset, grout and membrane — and it counts the shower floor, which is the part most tile calculators leave out.

Assumptions used

These are the numbers behind the result. Where one of them is soft, the cost range widens rather than pretending to a precision the data does not have.

Thinset coverage per 50 lb bag
85 ft²

With a 1/4 in notched trowel. Large-format tile needs a bigger notch and covers less.

Custom Building Products data sheet — Industry standard, varies by supplier, checked 09/01/2026

Grout coverage per 25 lb bag
90 ft²

Depends heavily on tile size and joint width — small tile with wide joints uses far more.

Mapei coverage chart — Rough figure — widens the estimate range, checked 09/01/2026

Waterproofing membrane roll coverage
54 ft²

Schluter Kerdi product data — Published product data, checked 09/01/2026

Tile waste allowance
0.15

Fifteen percent covers cuts and breakage. Diagonal or herringbone layouts want twenty.

Tile Council of North America handbook — Industry standard, varies by supplier, checked 09/01/2026

Prices verified 09/01/2026 (US national average, big-box retail shelf price and regional ready-mix quotes). Regional adjustment: Blended from RSMeans city cost index bands and BLS construction wage differentials.

The formula

Alcove wall area = back wall × height + 2 × (side wall × height). Corner = back wall + one side. Floor = back wall × side wall. Thinset is doubled over the plain coverage figure because shower floors and large-format tile both need back-buttering. Membrane covers walls and floor at about 54 ft² per roll.

Worked examples

60x32 alcove shower tiled to 84 in

Back wall width: 60 Side wall depth: 32 Tile height up the wall: 84 Walls to tile: 3 Waste: 15

About 70 ft² of wall and 13 ft² of floor. Roughly 96 ft² of tile to order, 4 bags of thinset and 2 rolls of membrane.

Same shower tiled to the ceiling at 96 in

Back wall width: 60 Side wall depth: 32 Tile height up the wall: 96 Walls to tile: 3 Waste: 15

Another foot of height adds about 10 ft² — a modest material cost for a much better looking result, and no extra cutting.

42x42 corner shower

Back wall width: 42 Side wall depth: 42 Tile height up the wall: 84 Walls to tile: 2 Waste: 15

Two walls instead of three, but a larger floor. Corner showers are cheaper in tile and more expensive in glass.

Choosing materials

  • The membrane is the waterproofing, not the tile. Sheet membrane over the board, seams banded, corners preformed, and the pan tied into it — that assembly is what keeps the wall dry for thirty years.
  • Use porcelain on the shower floor, not ceramic. Porcelain is denser, absorbs almost no water, and mosaic sizes give the grout lines that make a wet floor grippy.
  • A niche costs far more in labor than its area suggests — every edge is a cut and every corner needs waterproofing detail. Buy a preformed niche unless you have done one before.
  • Buy 15% over on straight lay and 20% for herringbone or diagonal. Also buy from one batch: shade varies between production runs and a shower wall shows it plainly.
  • The pan has to slope a quarter inch per foot to the drain, uniformly. A pre-sloped pan kit gets this right for far less than the cost of getting it wrong.

Common questions

How much tile do I need for a shower?

For a standard 60x32 alcove tiled to 84 in, about 83 ft² of wall and floor combined, so roughly 96 ft² ordered with 15% waste. Tiling to the ceiling instead of 84 in adds about 10 ft².

Do I need waterproofing behind shower tile?

Yes, always. Tile and grout are porous, and cement board is not waterproof either. A sheet or liquid membrane over the board, with banded seams and preformed corners, is what actually keeps water out of the framing.

How many bags of thinset for a shower?

About four 50 lb bags for a standard alcove. That is roughly double what the plain coverage figure suggests, because shower floors and any large-format tile need back-buttering as well as a notched coat.

Ceramic or porcelain for a shower?

Porcelain on the floor without exception — it absorbs almost no water and holds up to standing wet. Ceramic is fine on walls and is cheaper and easier to cut. Many showers use ceramic walls and a porcelain mosaic floor.

How much waste should I allow for shower tile?

Fifteen percent for a straight stacked or offset layout, twenty for herringbone or diagonal. Showers have a high ratio of edges to area, so waste runs higher than on a floor of the same size.

What grout should I use in a shower?

Cement grout with a quality sealer works and is what most showers use. Epoxy grout is waterproof, stain-proof and considerably harder to work with — worth it on a shower floor, arguable on the walls.

Related calculators