How much paint do you need?
Add your rooms or walls, set the coats, get gallons and cost instantly.
How do I calculate how much paint I need?
Find the wall area — the room's perimeter times the wall height — and subtract about 21 square feet for each door and 15 for each window. Multiply by the number of coats and divide by the coverage on the can, usually 350 to 400 square feet per gallon. A 12 by 12 ft room with 8 ft walls, one door and one window has 348 square feet of wall; two coats at 350 square feet per gallon take just under 2 gallons.
How much does a gallon of paint cover?
Most interior paints cover 350 to 400 square feet per gallon per coat on smooth, primed walls. Rough and porous surfaces soak up more: count on roughly 300 square feet per gallon on textured walls, 250 on stucco and 200 on brick or block. The label on your can gives the figure for that paint — enter it in the Coverage field.
How many coats of paint do I need?
Two coats for most jobs, and always when you change the color. One coat can be enough to refresh the same color on walls in good shape. Going from dark to light, or painting over patches and bare drywall, usually needs a coat of primer first and then two coats of paint.
How much paint do I need for a ceiling?
A ceiling is simply length times width: a 12 by 12 ft ceiling is 144 square feet. One coat at 350 square feet per gallon takes about 0.4 gallons, two coats about 0.8 — a single gallon covers it. Tick Ceiling on the room to add it to the walls.
Should I buy gallons or a 5-gallon bucket?
A 5-gallon bucket usually costs less per gallon than five single cans, and paint from one batch keeps the color even across a large job. For 3 gallons or more of the same color, compare the prices — enter them above and the cheapest option is marked.
Do I need primer?
Prime new drywall, patched or stained areas, glossy surfaces and big color changes such as dark to light. For the primer itself, run this calculator again with one coat and the coverage printed on the primer can.