Kitchen Tile Calculator

Kitchen Tiling: Splashbacks, Floors, and Everything In Between

The kitchen is the hardest-working room in any home, and the surfaces need to match. Kitchen tiles must withstand daily splashes of water, oil, and food, endure the heat from hobs and ovens, cope with heavy foot traffic, and still look good at the end of it all. Our kitchen tile calculator separates the two main tiling areas — the splashback and the floor — because they typically use different tile sizes, materials, and budgets.

Whether you are planning a new kitchen installation or refreshing an existing one, getting the tile quantities right is essential. Kitchen splashbacks are relatively small areas but can use expensive feature tiles, while kitchen floors cover a large area where cost per square metre really adds up. This guide walks you through the measurements, considerations, and UK-specific costs for both.

Kitchen Splashback Dimensions

A kitchen splashback is the tiled area between the worktop surface and the underside of the wall cupboards. Its primary purpose is to protect the wall from water, food splashes, and cooking grease. The standard dimensions for UK kitchen splashbacks are:

Standard Splashback

In most UK fitted kitchens, the worktop sits at 900mm from the floor and the wall cupboards are hung at 1,350–1,500mm from the floor. This creates a splashback zone of 450–600mm in height. The length of the splashback is the total run of worktop against walls. In a typical galley kitchen, this might be 3–4 metres; in a large L-shaped kitchen, 5–7 metres.

Behind the Cooker and Hob

The area behind the cooker or hob needs special attention. There are usually no wall cupboards directly above a cooker (an extractor hood or chimney-style cooker hood occupies this space instead), so the splashback behind the cooker is taller than the rest. Standard practice is to tile 150–300mm higher behind the hob, creating a total height of 750–900mm in this section.

Our calculator has a separate input for the cooker area, allowing you to specify the cooker width and the extra height required. A standard freestanding cooker in the UK is 600mm wide; a range cooker is typically 900mm or 1,000mm wide. The extra tiled area is small but adds visual interest — many people choose a feature tile or decorative pattern for this section.

Windowsills and End Panels

If your kitchen worktop runs under a window, you may want to tile the window reveal (the sides of the window recess) and the area below the windowsill down to the worktop. This area is often overlooked in tile calculations but can add 0.3–0.5m² of tiled surface. Alternatively, many kitchen fitters install a matching worktop material as a windowsill, eliminating the need for tiles in this area.

Kitchen Floor Tile Options

Kitchen floors take a pounding. Between foot traffic, dropped pans, spilled liquids, and scraping chair legs, a kitchen floor tile needs to be tough. Here are the most popular kitchen floor tile options available in the UK, with their pros, cons, and typical costs from major retailers:

Porcelain Floor Tiles

Porcelain is the gold standard for kitchen floors. It is fired at extremely high temperatures (above 1,200°C), making it incredibly dense, hard-wearing, and almost impervious to water. Modern porcelain tiles can convincingly replicate wood, natural stone, concrete, and even marble. A matt or satin finish provides good grip when wet. Prices at UK retailers such as Topps Tiles and Porcelain Superstore range from £20–65/m², with the most popular wood-effect tiles in the £25–40/m² bracket.

Ceramic Floor Tiles

Ceramic tiles are lighter and easier to cut than porcelain, making them a popular DIY choice. However, they are softer and more porous, which means they can chip more easily and may stain if the glaze is damaged. For a kitchen with light to moderate foot traffic, ceramic tiles are perfectly adequate. Prices at Wickes and B&Q start from as little as £12/m², making them the most budget-friendly option.

Natural Stone

Slate, limestone, and travertine create a beautiful, characterful kitchen floor. Each tile is unique, which adds warmth and personality. However, natural stone requires sealing before and after grouting, and regular re-sealing (typically annually) to prevent staining. It is also more expensive: expect £40–100/m² from suppliers like Mandarin Stone or Fired Earth. Limestone and travertine are softer than porcelain and can be etched by acidic foods (lemon juice, vinegar, wine), so they are not ideal for messy cooks.

Encaustic and Patterned Tiles

Encaustic cement tiles (or their porcelain reproductions) have become hugely popular for UK kitchen floors. Geometric patterns, Moroccan motifs, and Victorian-style designs create a striking focal point. Genuine cement encaustic tiles are expensive (£50–130/m²) and need sealing, but porcelain reproductions look almost identical and cost £30–60/m². These are widely available at Tile Giant, Topps Tiles, and online specialists such as Bert & May and Balineum.

Splashback Alternatives to Consider

While this calculator focuses on tile splashbacks — by far the most popular choice in the UK — it is worth knowing the alternatives, as they affect whether you need tiles at all for the wall area:

• Glass splashbacks: Custom-cut toughened glass in any colour. Seamless, easy to clean, but expensive (£70–150/m² fitted). No grout lines to discolour.
• Stainless steel: Professional look, extremely practical, but can look cold in a domestic kitchen. £60–100/m².
• Acrylic panels: Budget-friendly alternative to glass (£30–60/m²). Available in many colours but not heat-resistant enough for directly behind a gas hob.
• Upstands: A matching strip of the worktop material (e.g., granite, quartz, laminate) that stands 100–150mm high along the back of the worktop. Provides basic splash protection without a full splashback.

If you choose a tile splashback, the visual impact is unmatched. Tiles come in virtually unlimited colours, patterns, textures, and finishes. From glossy white metro tiles for a classic look to hand-glazed zellige tiles for artisan character, the range at UK retailers has never been wider. Our calculator helps you work out exactly how many tiles you need, whatever style you choose.

Installation Tips for Kitchen Tiles

Kitchen tiling has some specific considerations that differ from bathroom tiling. Kitchens must cope with grease, heat, and potentially different substrates behind the worktop compared to the floor. Here are the most important tips for a successful kitchen tiling project in the UK:

1. Heat resistance behind the hob: Use a heat-resistant adhesive (such as BAL Max Flex Fibre) directly behind gas and electric hobs. Standard adhesive may weaken over time from repeated heating and cooling.
2. Grout choice matters: Kitchen grout is exposed to grease, food stains, and frequent cleaning. Use an epoxy grout or a stain-resistant cementitious grout. Mapei Kerapoxy or BAL Micromax 2 are excellent UK-available options that resist staining and mould.
3. Timing with the kitchen fitter: Coordinate with your kitchen fitter. The floor is usually tiled before the kitchen is installed (or at least before the base units go in). The splashback is tiled after the kitchen and worktop are fitted, using the worktop as the starting level for the first row of tiles.
4. Socket cut-outs: Kitchen splashbacks often have electrical sockets cutting through the tiles. You will need a diamond hole saw or a tile cutter with a platform to make precise cut-outs. Allow 2–4 extra tiles in your wastage for these difficult cuts.
5. Silicone, not grout, at junctions: Where the tiles meet the worktop, use a matching colour silicone sealant rather than grout. This allows for slight movement between the worktop and wall without cracking.

Frequently Asked Questions