How much tile for a 5×8 walk-in shower?

Data checked October 2026

Short answer

126 sq ft of 12×24 tile takes 75 tiles — 11 boxes — including 15% for cuts, plus 4 bags of thinset and 1 × 25-lb bag of grout.

Area: 5 × 7 + 8 × 7 + 5 × 7 ft = 126 sq ft.
Each 12×24 tile (actual 23.5 × 11.7 in) plus a 1/8 in joint covers 1.94 sq ft; 126 × 1.15 ÷ 1.94 = 75 pieces → 11 boxes of 7.
Thinset: 4 × 50-lb VersaBond with a 3/4 × 9/16 × 3/8 U-notch held at 30° (42 sq ft per bag, plus back-buttering).
Grout: about 6.6 lb of Keracolor S for a 1/8 in joint 0.354 in deep — 1 × 25-lb bag.
Backer: 10 sheets of HardieBacker 500 and about 250 screws.
Waterproofing: 2.5 gal of RedGard for two coats — 3 × 1-gal pail.
Materials come to about $900; installed by a pro, about $2,356–$6,665.

Adjust it to your exact job

What are you tiling?

Project

Enter each wall as width × tiled height (84 in = 7 ft is common).

Surfaces

Width

= 5' · 1.52 m

Height

= 7' · 2.13 m

Wall 2

Width

= 8' · 2.44 m

Height

= 7' · 2.13 m

Wall 3

Width

= 5' · 1.52 m

Height

= 7' · 2.13 m

Tile

Tile size

Floor & Decor Venato 12×24: 11.70 × 23.50 in, 9 mm, 7 pieces = 13.44 sq ft per box (other brands pack 8).

Grout joint

Layout

You need

11boxes of 12×24

75 tiles for 126 sq ft incl. 15% extra · 147 sq ft in the boxes

Area to tile: 126sq ft
Tile cost: $366about $33.28 per box
Thinset: 4bagsVersaBond · ¾ U · 30°
Grout: 6.6 lbKeracolor S: 1 × 25-lb bag
Backer board: 10sheetsHardieBacker 500 · 250 fasteners
Waterproofing: 2.5galRedGard: 3 × 1-gal pail

Back-butter large tile

Tile over 15 in needs a skim of thinset on its back as well as the troweled bed. That adds about 0.5 bag here — already included. Lift a tile now and then to check you have 95% contact.

Other tile sizes, same area

Pieces and boxes by tile size (recommended waste, carton counts as listed)
Tile	Pieces	Boxes	Tile cost
Mosaic 12×12 sheets	142	142 sheets	$2,129
3×6 subway	1,062	14	$168
4×12 subway	419	28	$423
4×4 4¼ wall	1,093	11	$406
6×24 plank	152	14	$430
12×12 ceramic	143	9	$147
12×24 porcelain	75	11	$366
24×24 porcelain	38	10	$463
24×48 large format	19	7	$644

Hiring it out?

Installed tile runs about $2,356–$6,665 for 126 sq ft (Fixr, 2025, including the pattern premium). Your materials above come to about $900.

Shopping list

11 boxes 12×24 porcelain tile75 pieces incl. 15% waste$366
4 bags VersaBond thinset, 50 lb3/4 × 9/16 × 3/8 U-notch held at 30°, back-buttered$79.96
1 units Keracolor S grout — 25-lb bag$14.48
10 sheets HardieBacker 500 (0.42 in, sold as 1/2 in), 3×5 ft$175
2 boxes Backer fasteners — box of 185$27.74
2 rolls 2 in alkali-resistant mesh tape — 50-ft roll$11.98
3 pails RedGard — 1-gal pail$225
1 each Notched trowel, 3/4 × 9/16 × 3/8 U-notch held at 30°$11.49
75 pcs Tile spacers, 1/8 inabout one per tile

Estimated total$912

Cost estimate

Tap a price to use your store's

12×24 tile
11 boxes × $$2.49/sq ft × 13.37 sq ft per box
$366
VersaBond
4 bags × $
$79.96
Keracolor S 25-lb bag
1 units × $
$14.48
HardieBacker 500
10 sheets × $
$175
Screws, box of 185
2 boxes × $
$27.74
Mesh tape, 50-ft roll
2 rolls × $
$11.98
RedGard 1-gal pail
3 pails × $
$225
Notched trowel
1 each × $
$11.49

Materials total$912

Typical U.S. prices (Floor & Decor and others) checked October 2026. Tap any price to enter your store's.

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Compare

The same 126 sq ft in other tile sizes

Tile	Pieces	Boxes	Thinset bags	Tile cost
Mosaic 12×12 sheets	142	142 sheets	2	$2,129
3×6 subway	1,062	14	2	$168
4×12 subway	419	28	3	$423
4×4 4¼ wall	1,093	11	2	$406
6×24 plank	152	14	4	$430
12×12 ceramic	143	9	3	$147
12×24 porcelain	75	11	4	$366
24×24 porcelain	38	10	4	$463
24×48 large format	19	7	4	$644

How this was worked out

A 5×8 walk-in shower has 18 ft of wall. At 7 ft high that is 126 sq ft, so buying the 3.5-gal pail of membrane or a bulk carton of tile can be cheaper.

The 15% extra is the recommendation for ⅓ offset layout with 24-in tile. The full boxes leave 2 spare pieces — keep them for repairs.

The full method, material data and tips are on the main tile calculator page.

Similar jobs

Other sizes people check

Sources

Data behind this answer

Floor & Decor carton specs — Venato 12×24, Napoli 24×48, Bright White Ice 3×6 — 12×24 = 11.70 × 23.50 in, 7 per box; 24×48 = 23.50 × 47.08 in, 3 per box; 3×6 subway 80 per box · checked October 2026
Floors Center carton specs — Daltile 12×12, 24×24, 6×24, 4×4 and MSI 4×12 — 12×12 = 11.81 in, 17 per box; 24×24 = 23.62 in, 4 per box; 6×24 planks 11 = 10.23 sq ft; 4¼ wall tile 100 = 12.5 sq ft; MSI 4×12 15 = 4.85 sq ft · checked October 2026
Floor & Decor tile category pricing (Ypsilanti, MI store) — 12×24 porcelain median $2.49/sq ft, 24×48 $3.99, porcelain overall $2.99, ceramic $0.99, mosaic sheets $14.99 · checked October 2026
Daltile FAQ and MSI FAQ — overage and attic stock — buy about 10% extra as attic stock; MSI: 10–15% by pattern plus 5–10% for future repairs · checked October 2026
Custom Building Products — VersaBond family sell sheet SS215 (9/26R) and TDS-119 — VersaBond 85–95 sq ft at 1/4 in, 60–67 at 1/4×3/8, U-notch 34–38 (45°) / 42–47 (30°); VersaBond LHT, LITE (35 lb = 50 lb) · checked October 2026
Custom grout data — Polyblend Plus TDS-360, Grout Card CC25, Prism SS160, Fusion Pro TDS-242 — Polyblend Plus 12×12×3/8 at 1/8 in: 348 sq ft per 25 lb; Prism 17 lb = 25 lb coverage; Fusion Pro 199 sq ft/gal at 12×12×3/8, 1/8 in · checked October 2026
MAPEI TDS — Keracolor S (Feb 2026), Keracolor U, Ultracolor Plus FA (Aug 2026), Kerapoxy CQ (Apr 2026) — Coverage tables used to calibrate the grout factor per product; Kerapoxy CQ joints 1/16–3/8 in only · checked October 2026
James Hardie — installing HardieBacker on floors and walls — fasteners every 8 in over the whole floor sheet, 1/4 in square-notch thinset under floor board, 1/8 in gaps, 2 in mesh tape; studs max 16 in o.c. · checked October 2026
Custom RedGard — TDS-104 — waterproofing 55 sq ft/gal (two coats at 110), IAPMO pan liner 40, crack prevention 100; 1 and 3.5 gal pails · checked October 2026
Celebration Hardware — RedGard LQWAF1 1-gal — $74.99 per 1-gal pail (regular price, Oct 2026) · checked October 2026
Floor & Decor backer board, screws and mesh tape listings — Durock 3×5 $12.50–$21.00, HardieBacker $13.40 / $17.50; 1-1/4 in screws 750 ct $38.44, 185 ct $13.87; 2 in tape 300 ft $15.99 · checked October 2026
homewyse — cost to install tile floor, wall tile and backsplash (May 2026) — floor $16.38–$20.21, walls $11.48–$21.27, backsplash $28.31–$49.78 per sq ft installed · checked October 2026
Fixr — shower tiling cost guide (updated Aug 29, 2025) — porcelain shower walls $17–$46/sq ft installed; diagonal and herringbone +20%, running bond +10–15%; tear-out $2–$5/sq ft · checked October 2026

Short answer

126 sq ft of 12×24 tile takes 75 tiles — 11 boxes — including 15% for cuts, plus 4 bags of thinset and 1 × 25-lb bag of grout.

Area: 5 × 7 + 8 × 7 + 5 × 7 ft = 126 sq ft.

Each 12×24 tile (actual 23.5 × 11.7 in) plus a 1/8 in joint covers 1.94 sq ft; 126 × 1.15 ÷ 1.94 = 75 pieces → 11 boxes of 7.

Thinset: 4 × 50-lb VersaBond with a 3/4 × 9/16 × 3/8 U-notch held at 30° (42 sq ft per bag, plus back-buttering).

Grout: about 6.6 lb of Keracolor S for a 1/8 in joint 0.354 in deep — 1 × 25-lb bag.

Backer: 10 sheets of HardieBacker 500 and about 250 screws.

Waterproofing: 2.5 gal of RedGard for two coats — 3 × 1-gal pail.

Materials come to about $900; installed by a pro, about $2,356–$6,665.

Adjust it to your exact job

What are you tiling?

Project

Enter each wall as width × tiled height (84 in = 7 ft is common).

Surfaces

Width

= 5' · 1.52 m

Height

= 7' · 2.13 m

Wall 2

Width

= 8' · 2.44 m

Height

= 7' · 2.13 m

Wall 3

Width

= 5' · 1.52 m

Height

= 7' · 2.13 m

Tile

Tile size

Floor & Decor Venato 12×24: 11.70 × 23.50 in, 9 mm, 7 pieces = 13.44 sq ft per box (other brands pack 8).

Grout joint

Layout

You need

11boxes of 12×24

75 tiles for 126 sq ft incl. 15% extra · 147 sq ft in the boxes

Area to tile: 126sq ft
Tile cost: $366about $33.28 per box
Thinset: 4bagsVersaBond · ¾ U · 30°
Grout: 6.6 lbKeracolor S: 1 × 25-lb bag
Backer board: 10sheetsHardieBacker 500 · 250 fasteners
Waterproofing: 2.5galRedGard: 3 × 1-gal pail

Back-butter large tile

Tile over 15 in needs a skim of thinset on its back as well as the troweled bed. That adds about 0.5 bag here — already included. Lift a tile now and then to check you have 95% contact.

Other tile sizes, same area

Pieces and boxes by tile size (recommended waste, carton counts as listed)
Tile	Pieces	Boxes	Tile cost
Mosaic 12×12 sheets	142	142 sheets	$2,129
3×6 subway	1,062	14	$168
4×12 subway	419	28	$423
4×4 4¼ wall	1,093	11	$406
6×24 plank	152	14	$430
12×12 ceramic	143	9	$147
12×24 porcelain	75	11	$366
24×24 porcelain	38	10	$463
24×48 large format	19	7	$644

Hiring it out?

Installed tile runs about $2,356–$6,665 for 126 sq ft (Fixr, 2025, including the pattern premium). Your materials above come to about $900.

Shopping list

11 boxes 12×24 porcelain tile75 pieces incl. 15% waste$366
4 bags VersaBond thinset, 50 lb3/4 × 9/16 × 3/8 U-notch held at 30°, back-buttered$79.96
1 units Keracolor S grout — 25-lb bag$14.48
10 sheets HardieBacker 500 (0.42 in, sold as 1/2 in), 3×5 ft$175
2 boxes Backer fasteners — box of 185$27.74
2 rolls 2 in alkali-resistant mesh tape — 50-ft roll$11.98
3 pails RedGard — 1-gal pail$225
1 each Notched trowel, 3/4 × 9/16 × 3/8 U-notch held at 30°$11.49
75 pcs Tile spacers, 1/8 inabout one per tile

Estimated total$912

Cost estimate

Tap a price to use your store's

12×24 tile
11 boxes × $$2.49/sq ft × 13.37 sq ft per box
$366
VersaBond
4 bags × $
$79.96
Keracolor S 25-lb bag
1 units × $
$14.48
HardieBacker 500
10 sheets × $
$175
Screws, box of 185
2 boxes × $
$27.74
Mesh tape, 50-ft roll
2 rolls × $
$11.98
RedGard 1-gal pail
3 pails × $
$225
Notched trowel
1 each × $
$11.49

Materials total$912

Typical U.S. prices (Floor & Decor and others) checked October 2026. Tap any price to enter your store's.

Tile

Pieces

Boxes

Thinset bags

Tile cost

Mosaic 12×12 sheets

142

142 sheets

$2,129

3×6 subway

1,062

$168

4×12 subway

419

$423

4×4 4¼ wall

1,093

$406

6×24 plank

152

$430

12×12 ceramic

143

$147

12×24 porcelain

$366

24×24 porcelain

$463

24×48 large format

$644

How this was worked out

A 5×8 walk-in shower has 18 ft of wall. At 7 ft high that is 126 sq ft, so buying the 3.5-gal pail of membrane or a bulk carton of tile can be cheaper.

The 15% extra is the recommendation for ⅓ offset layout with 24-in tile. The full boxes leave 2 spare pieces — keep them for repairs.

The full method, material data and tips are on the main tile calculator page.