Painting6 min

How Much Paint Do I Need for a Room?

Estimate wall area, coats and gallons without overbuying.

Use the Paint Calculator
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Start with wall area

Measure room length, width and wall height. For a rectangle, wall area is two times the sum of length and width, multiplied by height.

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Account for coats and coverage

Multiply paintable area by coats, then divide by the coverage listed on your paint product. Surface texture and color changes can alter real coverage.

Round for the real purchase

Paint comes in fixed container sizes. Round up enough to avoid running short and keep a small amount for touch-ups.

Skip the manual math

Use the companion calculator with your own measurements, then return here to check assumptions.

Open Paint Calculator