Two features that were previously handled as flat percentages or left out entirely have now shipped on the free Paint & Tile Calculator: a grout gap width input that changes the tile-count math directly, and a dedicated Trim & Casing tab for baseboard, molding, and door casing paint sized in linear feet. Here's exactly what changed and how to use each one.
New: grout gap width now feeds directly into tile count
What changedThe Tile tab has a new "Grout gap width" field (in inches) that recalculates the effective tile pitch — (tile length + gap) x (tile width + gap) — instead of only estimating grout loss through a flat waste percentage. The waste allowance field is still there for cutting and breakage; grout gap now handles the physical space grout lines take up separately.
Previously, the only way to account for grout lines was to nudge the waste percentage up a bit and hope it covered both cutting losses and grout spacing. That worked reasonably well on large-format tile, where a 1/8-inch grout line barely dents the tile count, but it was a rougher approximation on small mosaic or subway tile, where grout spacing matters much more relative to tile size.
Now the grout gap field is a first-class input next to tile length and tile width on the Tile tab, prefilled with a common default of 0.125 inch (1/8 inch). Change the tile size, the gap, or both, and the calculator recomputes the effective tile pitch immediately, then applies the waste percentage on top for cutting and breakage as before.
Try it: On the Tile tab, set tile length and width to 4 inches (a small mosaic size) and toggle the grout gap between 0.0625 in (1/16 in) and 0.25 in (1/4 in). Watch the tile count and box count shift noticeably more than the same toggle would move a 24x24 in tile's count — that gap between the two is exactly what the new field is built to capture.
New: a Trim & Casing tab, sized in linear feet
What changedA new "Trim & Casing" tab sits alongside Paint, Tile, Flooring, Square Ft, and Whole House. Instead of squeezing baseboard, crown molding, or door/window casing into the square-footage-based Paint tab, this tab takes a total linear-foot run and a trim-width preset, then applies gallons = linear feet x coats / (linear feet per gallon), plus a waste allowance.
Trim has always been an awkward fit for a square-footage calculator: baseboard and casing are long and narrow, and their paint usage per foot depends more on the trim's width and profile than on any room's floor area. The new tab sidesteps that mismatch entirely by asking for the one number that actually matters — total running length — plus a trim-width preset (for example, 3.5-inch baseboard or 2.25-inch door casing) so the coverage-per-linear-foot rate lines up with the type of trim you're painting.
This keeps the Trim & Casing estimate cleanly separate from your wall-paint gallons, which matters in practice since trim is almost always a different sheen and often a different color from the walls it borders.
A worked example combining both features
Take a hypothetical small bathroom remodel, purely for illustration: a 40 square foot floor laid with 4x4 inch mosaic tile and a 3/16-inch (0.1875 in) grout gap, plus new baseboard and a single door casing to repaint afterward.
| Item | Input | Notes |
|---|
| Tile tab | 40 sq ft, 4x4 in tile, 0.1875 in grout gap, 10% waste | Effective pitch grows to about 4.19 x 4.19 in before waste is applied |
| Trim & Casing tab | ~24 linear ft baseboard + ~17 linear ft door casing = ~41 linear ft, 3.5 in preset | Kept separate from the tile and any wall-paint gallons |
Illustrative numbers only, meant to show how the two new fields interact with a real layout — actual tile counts and paint gallons depend on your product's printed coverage and box specs.
Running the mosaic floor through the grout gap field first, then the trim run through the new tab separately, avoids the two most common mistakes in a small bathroom job: undercounting mosaic tile because a flat waste percentage didn't fully capture the grout spacing, and either skipping trim paint entirely or lumping it into the wall-paint estimate where it doesn't belong.
Frequently asked questions
What's new in the ToolPico Paint & Tile Calculator?
Two additions: a grout gap width field on the Tile tab that recalculates the effective tile pitch — (tile length + gap) x (tile width + gap) — directly, instead of only relying on a flat waste percentage; and a dedicated Trim & Casing tab that sizes baseboard, crown molding, and door/window casing paint from linear feet and a coverage-per-linear-foot rate, separate from the wall-paint math.
Do I have to enter a grout gap, or can I ignore it?
The grout gap field is prefilled with a common default (0.125 inch, or 1/8 inch) so you can leave it as-is for a typical job. If you're not sure of your exact grout width, the prefilled default plus the existing waste-percentage field still gives a reasonable estimate; entering your planned grout width just makes the tile count more precise, especially on smaller-format tile.
How is the new Trim & Casing tab different from just using the Paint tab for a small area?
The Paint tab is built around square footage (length x width or a net wall area), while trim, baseboard, and casing are long, narrow runs better measured in linear feet. The Trim & Casing tab takes a total linear-foot length and a trim-width preset, then calculates gallons using linear feet x coats / (linear feet per gallon), which avoids awkwardly converting a baseboard run into an approximate square footage by hand.
Does the grout gap input replace the waste allowance field on the Tile tab?
No, the two are complementary and both still apply. The grout gap field adjusts the effective tile pitch to account for the physical space grout lines take up between tiles, while the waste allowance field separately covers cutting losses, breakage, and pattern-matching offcuts. A tile job with a wide grout gap and an aggressive cut pattern (like herringbone) benefits from both being set accurately.
Can I use the Trim & Casing tab for a whole house, or only one room at a time?
The Trim & Casing tab itself calculates one linear-foot total at a time, so for a multi-room project the simplest approach is to add up the baseboard, casing, and molding linear footage across every room first, then enter that combined total once. The separate Whole House tab handles paint, tile, and flooring by room, but trim is currently sized as a single combined linear-foot run.