Calculators / Paint
Paint Calculator
A 12 × 14 ft room with 8 ft ceilings has 416 sq ft of wall. After one door and two windows, two coats take 2.25 gallons, so buy 3 gallon cans. The ceiling adds 1 gallons. Enter your room or walls below.
How much paint do you need?
365 sq ft to paint after doors and windows, 2 coats, 10% extra. About 8.5 liters.
How much will it cost? Hiring a painter for the outside of a 2,000 sq ft one-story house typically costs $6,510 for two coats with trim. Exterior painting cost in your state
How to calculate paint
Wall area: for a room, 2 × (length + width) × ceiling height. A 12 × 14 ft room with 8 ft ceilings: 2 × 26 × 8 = 416 sq ft. Subtract about 21 sq ft for each door and 15 sq ft for each window.
Gallons: area × coats ÷ coverage per gallon, plus extra. Smooth interior walls take about 400 sq ft per gallon per coat; rough, porous surfaces such as stucco and brick take about half as much. We round up to the nearest quart.
Paint for common room sizes
8 ft ceilings, one door, two windows, smooth walls, 2 coats, 10% extra.
| Room | Wall area | Walls | Ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft | 320 sq ft | 1.5 gal | 0.75 gal |
| 10 × 12 ft | 352 sq ft | 1.75 gal | 0.75 gal |
| 12 × 12 ft | 384 sq ft | 2 gal | 1 gal |
| 12 × 14 ft | 416 sq ft | 2.25 gal | 1 gal |
| 14 × 16 ft | 480 sq ft | 2.5 gal | 1.25 gal |
| 16 × 20 ft | 576 sq ft | 3 gal | 2 gal |
Paint for a house exterior
Wall area after windows and doors, 2 coats, 10% extra.
| Wall area | Wood siding | Vinyl siding | Stucco |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,200 sq ft | 9 gal | 7.75 gal | 15.25 gal |
| 1,600 sq ft | 11.75 gal | 10.25 gal | 20.25 gal |
| 2,000 sq ft | 14.75 gal | 12.75 gal | 25.25 gal |
| 2,500 sq ft | 18.5 gal | 15.75 gal | 31.5 gal |
| 3,000 sq ft | 22 gal | 19 gal | 37.75 gal |
Common questions
How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover?
About 350 to 400 sq ft per coat on smooth interior walls, which is what most paint labels list. Rough surfaces soak up more: about 300 sq ft on wood siding and 175 to 200 sq ft on stucco and brick.
Do I need one coat or two?
Two coats give even color and better durability, and they are needed for a color change or a bare surface. One coat can be enough when you repaint the same color over a sound surface.
When do I need primer?
Use primer on new drywall, bare wood, patched spots, stains and big color changes. Stucco and masonry take about 200 sq ft of primer per gallon, other surfaces about 300.
Should I buy gallons or a 5-gallon bucket?
For larger jobs, painters mix all the paint in one bucket so the color is even from wall to wall. The calculator shows both, so you can compare prices.
How much does it cost to paint a house exterior?
Paint is a small part of the price; labor is most of it. See our exterior painting cost guide for prices by house size and state.
Will one gallon of paint cover a 10 × 10 room?
For one coat, yes. A 10 × 10 ft room with 8 ft ceilings has 320 sq ft of wall, or 284 sq ft after a door and a window, and one coat takes 1 gal with 10% extra. Two coats take 1.75 gal, so buy two gallons.
How much paint per square foot?
One coat on smooth walls takes about 1/400 to 1/350 of a gallon per sq ft, roughly 0.3 to 0.4 fl oz. Stucco and brick take about twice as much.
How we calculated this
Coverage rates come from paint manufacturers' technical data sheets. Opening sizes are typical: 21 sq ft for a door, 15 sq ft for a window and 56 or 112 sq ft for garage doors. We test the calculator against 155 worked examples, checked with a separate program. Sources.
Check the coverage on your paint's label. Textured walls and dark colors can need more.
Changelog
- : Published.
- : Formulas checked against 155 worked examples, verified with a separate program.
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