How many mosaic tiles do I need?

"Tiles" is the number used in the picture and "With spare" the number to buy. With 20 mm tiles and 2 mm grout about 2,066 tiles fit in one square metre.

Can I make the plan from the tile colours I already have?

Choose "Enter your own" under "Tile color chart" and type one colour per line as "name #RRGGBB". With two or more colours the plan uses only those. A photo of the tiles and a colour-picking tool give you the hex values.

How wide should the grout be?

Small mosaic tiles usually get 1.5 to 3 mm; paper mosaics 0 to 1 mm. Wider grout means fewer tiles on the same wall and a more open grid in the plan.

What if the photo is hard to recognise?

There are too few tiles. Use smaller tiles or a wider wall so that 40 or more tiles fit across, and keep 8 to 12 colours so the outlines show.

Does it work for paper mosaics?

Yes. Choose the "Paper mosaic, 16 colors" chart, set the tile side to the paper square size (for example 10 mm) and the grout to 0 to 1 mm. Print the numbered plan and glue a square on each cell.

Mosaic Tile Pattern Maker

Turn a photo into a tile or paper mosaic plan: tile size and grout width, wall or frame size, a tile colour palette you can edit, tile counts per colour and a printable numbered plan

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Turns a photo into a tile or paper mosaic plan. Enter the tile side, the grout width and the width of the wall or frame; the plan is sized to the tiles that fit and every cell takes the nearest tile colour. The page shows tile counts per colour with spare, the real size and area, and prints a numbered plan over several sheets. Use it for a bathroom accent wall, a framed mosaic or a paper mosaic with children.

How to use

A plan made from the fish sample is shown first. For your own photo, click "Drop a photo or drawing here or click to choose" or paste it with Ctrl+V.
Enter "Tile side" and "Grout width" in mm and "Wall or frame width" in cm. The height follows the picture, or choose "Set it" and fit the picture with "Fill (crops edges)" or "Whole picture".
Under "Tile color chart" pick a built-in set, or choose "Enter your own" and type the tiles you have, one per line (name and #RRGGBB). Use "Use fewer colors" and "Most colors" to limit the colours.
Set "Grout color" and "Spare"; the key then lists tiles and tiles with spare for each colour. Tap a colour in the key to show only its cells.
Use "Save as PDF", "Print" or "Save PNG". The printout is one sheet with the whole plan and the key, then the numbered plan split at the "Printed cell size".

How it works

Tiles across = (width in mm + grout) ÷ (tile + grout), rounded down. A 60 cm wall with 20 mm tiles and 2 mm grout takes 27 tiles and measures 27 × 20 + 26 × 2 = 592 mm. The area is the real width × height.
Each cell takes its average colour and the nearest tile colour is chosen in the CIELAB colour space with the CIEDE2000 colour difference. "Use fewer colors" groups the colours with k-means first and gives each group its nearest tile colour.
Tiles with spare = count × (1 + spare %), rounded up. About 10 % is usual to cover cutting and breakage.
The built-in charts' colour names and shades are approximations of common tile colours. The picture is processed in this browser on this device and is never uploaded.

How a photo becomes a mosaic tile pattern

The wall width divided by the tile-plus-grout pitch gives the number of tiles across; the height follows the picture. Each cell takes its average colour and the nearest tile colour is chosen in the CIELAB colour space with the CIEDE2000 colour difference. With "Use fewer colors" on, k-means groups the colours first and only the nearest tile colour of each group is used. Dithering mixes tiles of two colours to suggest an in-between shade but adds many single tiles, so it suits large walls only.

The grid draws tiles with gaps the width of the grout, so it looks like the finished surface. The grout colour changes the impression of the same layout; compare white, gray and dark before you decide.

Laying tiles from the printed plan

The first sheet holds the whole plan and the key (number, colour, count); from the second sheet on, every cell carries its colour number. A large wall is split over several sheets that overlap by 2 shaded cells so you can line them up. A bold line every 10 cells matches guide lines you can draw on the wall every 10 tiles to keep rows straight.

On a wall, spread adhesive only over the area you can tile at once and work row by row from the top left of the plan. For a paper mosaic, use the numbered plan itself as the backing and glue a paper square on each cell. Spare tiles cover cutting and breakage, so prepare the "with spare" number from the key.

Questions and answers

How many mosaic tiles do I need?: "Tiles" is the number used in the picture and "With spare" the number to buy. With 20 mm tiles and 2 mm grout about 2,066 tiles fit in one square metre.
Can I make the plan from the tile colours I already have?: Choose "Enter your own" under "Tile color chart" and type one colour per line as "name #RRGGBB". With two or more colours the plan uses only those. A photo of the tiles and a colour-picking tool give you the hex values.
How wide should the grout be?: Small mosaic tiles usually get 1.5 to 3 mm; paper mosaics 0 to 1 mm. Wider grout means fewer tiles on the same wall and a more open grid in the plan.
What if the photo is hard to recognise?: There are too few tiles. Use smaller tiles or a wider wall so that 40 or more tiles fit across, and keep 8 to 12 colours so the outlines show.
Does it work for paper mosaics?: Yes. Choose the "Paper mosaic, 16 colors" chart, set the tile side to the paper square size (for example 10 mm) and the grout to 0 to 1 mm. Print the numbered plan and glue a square on each cell.