Estimating How Much Paint To Buy
To estimate the amount of paint you will need to cover the walls of a room follow these steps:
1) Measure the length of each wall. For example: 200 inches + 200 inches + 250 inches + 250 inches = 900 inches or 75 feet.
(There is 12 inches per foot; 900 /12 = 75).
2) Multiply the sum of the wall length by the wall height, to find the total wall area. For example: Wall Height is 96 inches or 8 feet. If there is 75 feet in wall length x 8 feet in wall height = 600 square feet
3) Taking into account a standard size door and window measurement you will then subtract 20 square feet for each door and 15 square feet for each window to find the actual amount of wall area you’re painting.
For example: 600 sq ft wall space - 20 sq ft for one door - 30 sq ft for two windows (15 sq ft per window) = 550sq ft of wall space
Note: Be sure to measure any built-ins or spaces that are not being painted the wall color and subtract them from the wall space number.
4) Divide this number (550 sq ft) by the paint coverage (350 square feet per gallon), and the result is the number of gallons to purchase.
Note: In general, you can expect 1 gallon of paint to cover about 350 square feet. you need slightly more than a gallon if the walls are unpainted drywall, which absorbs more of the paint. You also need to consider whether to paint more than one coat. If you’re painting walls that are unfinished, heavily patched, or dark in color, plan on applying two coats of paint.
For example: 550 sq ft / 350 sq ft = 1.57
In this example, you would want to buy 1 gallon and 2 quarts of paint for a single coat.
If you have any questions or would like help painting your interior spaces contact Cobb Brothers Company - 508-655-7910. We are always happy to help you figure out the best way to handle your painting projects.