Knowing how much paint needed to paint a room or an exterior is important information to know. You are just shooting in the dark, without an idea of paint spread rates (coverage) and the size of room calculation.
If you just guess, you could end up with more than just "a little for touch up" when you are done. Conversely, if you guess short, you will need to make an extra trip or two to the paint store to pick up whatever the amount needed to finish the job.
The key factor in determining the amount of
paint required to paint a room (or any surface) is the amount of surface that the gallon of paint will cover. This key factor ("coverage") is remarkably similiar from one brand to the next, for most standard latex paints on smooth surfaces.
Painting ceiling and walls - Same Color
The amount of paint for ceiling and walls is a simple equation if the ceiling and walls are going to be painted the same color.
Paint Coverage
You will usually get about 400 square feet (SF) to a gallon of paint (per coat) on smooth walls like drywall, sheetrock or plaster. You might find the paint spread rate (or coverage) listed on the paint can label, if so, use that number. If it is not listed, you will usually be safe using the standard 400 SF per gallon rate.
Painting a Room - Calculation
To paint a room, you need to calculate the square footage of each wall and ceiling as follows:
1. Each wall: (length X height)
2. The ceiling: (length X width)
Total SF in the example room: 72 + 96 + 72 + 96 + 108= 444SF
Number of coats (use 2 in the case) 444 X 2= 888 SF
Divide this total 888 / 400 (SF per gallon) which = 2.22 gallons (buy 2 gallons if you want to cut it close, or 3 gallons if you want to be safe and have some left over for touch up later on down the road).
Openings
Unless there are a lot of windows and openings, I usually don't subtract for openings if there are just one door and a window or two. If you do have a lot of windows in the room, you will need tally the amount of square footage taken up by the doors and windows and subtract this from your total.
Painting ceiling and walls - Different Colors
If the ceiling is going to be painted a different color than the walls, you will need to keep a separate tally for the ceiling and another for the walls, but the calculation will be done the same way for each - as explained above (i.e. Total SF / 400 = Gallons)
Once you know the square footage of the room, you will multiply that number by the number of coats you intend to apply (x2 for two coats, x3 for three coats.
Next, divide that number by 400 (SF per gallon of paint) and you will have the number of gallons you will need.
EXAMPLE. (9 X 12 Room)
- wall 1: 9 X 8= 72SF
- wall 2: 12 X 8=96SF
- wall 3: 9 X 8=72SF
- wall 4: 12 X 8=96SF
- ceiling 9 X 12= 108SF
How Much Paint Do I Need
to paint a room?
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