Guides
DIY planning guides with worked examples
Short, practical guides for the numbers behind stairs, decks and tiled floors. Each one includes metric and imperial examples and links to the matching free planner.
Tile guide
How many tiles do I need?
Work out how many floor tiles and boxes to buy: the formula, how much waste to add for straight, diagonal and herringbone layouts, and worked metric and imperial examples.
Read the guideStair guide
Stair rise and run: how to calculate your stairs
Learn how to calculate stair risers, treads and total run from your floor-to-floor height, with worked metric and imperial examples and a comparison of US, UK and South African rules.
Read the guideDecking guide
Deck joist spacing: how far apart should joists be?
Standard deck joist spacing explained: 16 in (about 400 mm) for boards laid across the joists, 12 in (about 300 mm) for diagonal boards, and how to count the joists for your deck.
Read the guideDecking guide
How much decking do I need?
Calculate how many deck boards to buy: coverage per board with the gap, rows, board lengths, waste for straight and diagonal layouts, plus fixings. Metric and imperial examples.
Read the guide