Paint Calculator: How Much Paint Do I Need? (2024)

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Painting

Estimate Paint Amounts Based on Square Footage

By

Emily Manchester

Paint Calculator: How Much Paint Do I Need? (1)

Emily Manchester

Emily Manchester is the General Manager of Better Homes & Gardens. She has been working in the home space for six years, and in digital content for eight years. Previously, Emily led all editorial and strategy decisions for The Spruce and MyDomaine, two other home brands under the Dotdash Meredith umbrella.

Learn more about The Spruce'sEditorial Process

Updated on 08/05/24

Paint Calculator: How Much Paint Do I Need? (2)

This paint coverage calculator makes calculating the amount of paint you'll need for your project nearly automatic. Your role in the process involves just a few elements:

  • Measure the height and width of each wall to be painted.
  • Add in the number of windows and doors in the space.
  • Decide if you want to paint the ceiling.
  • Decide how many coats of paint you'll apply.
  • Press the "Calculate" button.

When calculating how much paint you will need, you will also need to consider other variables such as how many coats, the brand of paint, and how thick the coats are.

How Much Paint Do I Need?

The paint calculator helps plan an interior or exterior home painting project. It automates calculations you could make yourself using fairly basic math skills. The calculator makes several basic assumptions in its computations, each based on a specific formula that many people use when calculating paint needs. For example, one gallon of paint is assumed to cover approximately 350 square feet, a standard door accounts for about 20 square feet, and an average window accounts for about 15 square feet.

Room Shape and Wall Dimensions

Choose the room shape, then count the number of walls in your room. Add up the total length of the walls, then multiply by wall height to get the total square feet. Then, subtract the measurements of the windows and doors. Rectangular and square rooms have four walls to be painted. L-shaped rooms have six wall surfaces, while others may have more.

Windows and Doors

To paint windows and doors, first, count the number of windows and doors in the room. Then, subtract the area of the windows and doors from the total wall area you need to paint.

Ceiling Paint

If you are painting the ceiling, calculate the square footage by multiplying the ceiling's length by its width. Then, divide this number by the coverage rate in the paint label, which usually takes into account two coats of paint.

Number of Coats

Select how many coats you plan to use to paint the room. The calculator automatically defaults to two coats. It's typical to paint most walls twice to ensure against bare or thin spots and to create a seal or barrier that makes the wall easier to clean. You might want to change the default if:

  • Using high-quality paint with more pigments and resins; these specialty paints may only require one coat.
  • Refreshing a wall with the same paint color; one coat is great for a touch-up coat.
  • Plan ahead by using three coats, the paint job will last longer than two coats.

Tip

If you're using a paint sprayer, you may need to adjust your calculations. Sprayers may use up to 30 percent more paint than rollers.

How to Use a Paint Calculator

Paint calculators estimate the amount of paint you will need based on the size and shape of your room. Imagine you have a 12-foot by 12-foot room with standard 8-foot-high ceilings. Here's how to use the calculator:

  1. Pick a room shape; in this case, a square.
  2. Enter the length and height of each wall; in this example, each wall is 12 feet by 8 feet.
  3. Decide if you want to paint the ceiling; in this example, do not checkmark it.
  4. Enter the number of windows and doors in the room; in this example, select two windows and one door.
  5. Decide if you want to apply one, two, or three coats of paint; keep the default of two coats.
  6. Hit the "Calculate" button.

Automatically, the paint calculator gives you an estimate of 2 gallons of paint for applying two coats to a 12 x 12 room with an 8-foot ceiling with two windows, and one door. The painting of the ceiling is not included.

Tip

You can copy the provided embed code if you'd like to add this paint calculator to your website or blog. Once you've finalized your measurements and other specifications, click or tap "Embed This Tool" to generate a code that you can insert into your website

FAQ

  • How much paint do I need for a 12x12 room?

    For a 12x12 room with average 8-foot ceilings, you will need approximately 1.5 gallons of paint.

  • How much paint is needed to paint the interior of a 2,000-square-foot house?

    You will need about 5 gallons of paint to paint the interior of a 2,000-square-foot house. One gallon of paint covers about 360 to 400 square feet, so if you divide 400 by 2,000, you will get 5 gallons of paint.

Paint Calculator: How Much Paint Do I Need? (2024)

FAQs

How do I calculate how much paint I need? ›

The typical rule-of-thumb is one gallon for about every three to four hundred square feet. However, some paint formulas and wall textures may require more specific amounts. One gallon can of paint will cover up to 400 square feet, which is enough to cover a small room like a bathroom.

How much paint is needed for a 12x12 room? ›

How much paint is needed for a 12'x12' room? You'd need about 1.5 gallons of paint to cover a 12'x12' room with 8-foot-high walls.

How much area will 1 gallon of paint cover? ›

Paint usually is applied at 350 to 400 square feet per gallon (primer at 200 to 300 square feet per gallon). Use the Area section below to calculate the walls and ceiling values.

How much paint do I need to paint a 2000 square foot house? ›

If you divide 400 by 2000, it gives you five. So, for 2000 square feet, you will likely need 5 gallons of interior house paint. For the top-rated interior paint, you can expect to pay anywhere between $50 – $80 per gallon. We recommend top brands, such as Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams.

How many square feet will a 5 gallon bucket of paint cover? ›

Q: How many square feet does a 5-gallon bucket of paint cover? A: A 5-gallon bucket of paint can cover up to 2000 square feet of space.

How do you calculate painting estimate? ›

You should budget for paint by finding the total surface area in the square foot that needs to be covered in paint. Then you can select the type of paint you want to use whether it is interior paint or exterior paint. The price of paint can range from ₹10 per sq. ft to ₹200 per sq. ft.

How much would a painter charge to paint a 12x12 room? ›

Painters charge $400 to $1,000 per room on average, depending on the size. The average cost to paint a 12x12 room is $400 to $950.

How many gallons of paint do I need for a 10x10 bedroom? ›

10×10 room represented as 10 by 10 feet or 100 square feet room, using thumb rule, dry and wet condition, for fresh painting, generally, there are 1.38 gallons or 5.2 Litres of paint is needed for a 10×10 room to cover ceiling and wall and for re-painting of 10×10 room, 0.80 gallons or 3.13 litres of paint is needed ...

How much paint do I need to paint a 1500 square foot house? ›

How Much Paint do You Need? Picture Guide – Exterior + Interior
House SizeBodyTotal Gallons
1500 sq ft.810
2500 sq ft.1215
3500 sq ft.1519
5000 sq ft.2027
Jan 9, 2018

Do I need primer to paint over paint? ›

You probably don't need a primer. If the current wall is smooth, clean and covered with the same type of paint (both are oil-based for example), you can head straight for the paint. You need to fill holes, spackle and sand*, maybe even cut a new piece of drywall in to the existing wall.

How do you calculate paint area? ›

Multiply the room's length by its breadth to determine the size of the floor area. For instance, 4 x 6 = 24 square metres if the room is 4 m wide and 6 m long. There will be a total of 2 coats needed, thus you will need sufficient paint to cover 48 square metres.

How much paint for 2 coats? ›

On average, you can get about 400 square feet out of one gallon of paint. For an easy perspective, one gallon would likely cover a bathroom or small bedroom. But keep in mind that most rooms require more than one coat of paint. So if your room needs 2 coats, plan on getting around 200 square feet out of a gallon.

How do you determine how much paint you need? ›

Divide the paintable wall area by 425 (the square-foot coverage in each gallon can) to find the number of gallons of paint you need for the walls. You can round uneven numbers; if the remainder is less than . 5, order a couple of quarts of wall paint to go with the gallons; if the remainder is more than .

How many gallons of paint for a 1200 sq ft house interior? ›

Three gallons of paint can cover up to 1,200 square feet, enough to cover a couple of average-sized rooms or one large room. Four gallons of paint can cover up to 1,600 square feet, enough to cover several average-sized rooms.

Do you need two coats of primer? ›

You will want to use 2-3 coats of primer to ensure there is a good bond between the new paint and the wall, and also to cover up any previous colors, especially if they are red, orange, or a strange outdated color. In short, you will typically need 2 coats of primer for most painting projects.

How do you calculate paint volume needed? ›

Measure the length and width of the floor area of the room, and multiply the two measurements. For example, if the room is 4 metres wide, and 6 metres long, 4 x 6 = 24 square metres. 2 coats are required, so ensure you have enough paint to cover 48 square metres in total.

How many sq ft does a quart of paint cover? ›

Generally, a quart of paint covers about 100 square feet, and a gallon of paint covers 400 square feet.

How much paint do I need for a 10x10 room? ›

Giving you an example, caculating the square footage of a 10'x10' room, with a ceiling height of 10 feet, is about 400 square feet (10' Height x 10' Width = 100' x 4 Walls = 400'). If your paints Coverage Rate is 400 square feet per gallon, then you'll require one gallon.

How do I estimate how much to paint a room? ›

Professional interior paint jobs are typically priced at $2 to $6 per square foot. However, to receive a more accurate quote from your painter, have the room measurements ready when you contact them. One gallon of paint covers approximately 400 square feet.

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