Patio & Outdoor Tile Calculator
Your patio
Impervious porcelain only — no exceptions.
Tiles to buy
56
- Patio area
- 192 sq ft
- With 15% waste
- 220.8 sq ft
- Tile face area
- 4 sq ft
- Exterior thinset (50 lb bags)
- 5
Slope 1/4 in per foot away from the house — a 4 in drop across 16 ft.
Do this math on the job site — in the free app
Smart Tile Calculator for Android: offline, in your pocket, no ads. iPhone version coming soon.
Tools the pros use for this job
Outdoor Porcelain
Daltile Florentine 12" X 12" Glazed Porcelain Floor Tile in Carrara (13 PC Per Carton) (12.22 SQFT Per Carton)
Check price on AmazonImpervious to water, frost-proof — the only tile for cold climates.
Exterior Thinset
Sponsored Ad - 3 Pack 12x24 Inch Heavy Duty Grout Mortar Bags with Tip-Blue | Heavy Duty PVC Tear Resistant Puncture Tip Cement Sealer Bag, Grout Bag for Tile Installation, Easy to clean
Check price on AmazonMust be rated for exterior freeze-thaw use — check the bag.
Crack Membrane
Keeps slab cracks from telegraphing up through your patio tile.
Paid links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
How this calculator works
Patio area is length × width. We apply a flat 15% waste factor — outdoor work means more breakage and more cuts around edges, steps, and posts — and estimate exterior thinset using a 1/2 in notch trowel at ~45 sq ft per 50 lb bag.
Drainage is not optional: slope the patio 1/4 inch per foot away from the house (this patio needs a 4 in drop across its 16 ft length). In freeze-thaw climates, use only porcelain rated impervious (water absorption under 0.5%) and an exterior-rated polymer thinset.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use indoor ceramic tile outside?
No. Ceramic absorbs water, and one freeze-thaw cycle will crack or spall it. Outdoor tile must be porcelain with water absorption under 0.5% and a slip-resistant (R10/R11) surface.
Can I tile directly on a concrete patio slab?
Yes, if the slab is sound, at least 4 weeks cured, sloped for drainage, and you use a crack isolation membrane over any existing cracks. Never bridge an expansion joint with tile.
What grout should I use outdoors?
A polymer-modified sanded grout or an exterior-rated epoxy. Seal cement grout yearly. Keep joints at least 3/16 inch wide outdoors to absorb thermal movement.
Related calculators
- Grout CalculatorPounds of grout by tile size, joint width, and thickness.
- Thinset & Mortar CalculatorBags of thinset by trowel notch size and coverage.
- Floor Tile CalculatorTiles and boxes for any floor, by room dimensions and tile size.
- Tile Sealer CalculatorBottles of sealer for tile and grout by area and coats.
Guides worth reading next
- Outdoor Patio Tile: Surviving Freeze-Thaw and Standing WaterPorcelain pavers vs standard tile outdoors, the absorption rating that decides survival, drainage slope requirements, and mortar choices for exterior slabs.
- How to Measure a Room for Tile (Step by Step)Measure any room for floor or wall tile: handle closets and alcoves, convert inches to decimals, subtract fixtures, and add the right waste percentage.
- Choosing the Right Tile Size for Your RoomHow tile size changes a room: when 12×24 beats 4×4, why small rooms can take large tile, grout line math, and the flatness rule for big formats.