Q&A for How to Calculate Amount of Paint to Paint a Room

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Is 1 gallon of paint enough for a room?

Varga Gulshani
Residential Painting Specialist
Varga Gulshani is a Residential Painting Specialist and the Owner of Elegant Painting based in Washington. With more than 16 years of experience, Varga and his team specialize in residential interior painting, exterior painting, and cabinet painting. Varga and the Elegant Painting team have all received background and verification checks.

Varga Gulshani

Residential Painting Specialist

Expert Answer

Estimating accurately how much paint you'll need is hard, especially because it depends on the tint base. Almost all colors require two coats, but some ultra-deep bases might need three to four coats. As a general rule, you'd need 2 gallons for an average-sized bedroom.

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Question

Can I measure the length, width and the height to get my accurate measurement?

Janice Tieperman

Community Answer

You only need to measure height and length to get the surface area of your walls. However, you only use width and length when measuring for trim.

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Question

How to calculate the area of a room with door and window

Janice Tieperman

Community Answer

Measure the length and width of each door and window. Then, multiply these measurements to get the total surface area of each structure. Subtract these measurements from your total wall area to figure out how much surface you need to paint.

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Question

When I measured my wall for paint, I measured in inches, not feet. I took the total inches of height and then width and multiplied the two numbers. Is this method accurate?

Community Answer

Yes. However, if you have any windows or doors, be sure to deduct the size of them.

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Question

Can I find the square feet of walls by using the square feet of floors?

Community Answer

No, you need to have wall height and length to calculate area. If you use only the floors, then you would only have length.

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Question

How do I calculate how many cans of paint I need knowing coverage per can and the wall measurements?

Community Answer

If you have the wall measurements, calculate area by multiplying the wall's length by its height, then compare that with the coverage per can. If, for example, the wall's area is 50 square feet and your paint covers 10 square feet, you will need 5 cans to complete the project.

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Question

How many sq. ft. does one liter of paint cover?

Community Answer

Each paints has its own coverage. You'd have to look into the brand/type you want.

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Question

How much square feet does a gallon of paint cover?

Community Answer

It should be able to cover about 400 square feet; it really just depends on how thick the coat is.

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