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1. How much Paint is needed for a room?

   This is a question i am constantly faced with as an Estimator for Save on Painting Co Vancouver.
   There is a few ways to calculate the amount of Paint needed to paint the interior of your home.

   The two most common way's to calculate paint coverage is by:

   A: Surface sq/ft (total sq/ft of walls)
   which is calculated with the formula (H)x(L)x(W) "height of wall x total length of Room x total width of Room

   B: Area sq/ft (total sq/ft of area)
   which is calculated with the formula
   (L)x(W) "total length of room x total width of room

   Which Formula to use?

   Contrary to the previous answer to this question when calculating paint needed to paint the interior of your home measured by the total sq/ft of your walls, most often results in inaccurate results in the form of over-calculation for the reason that this formula does not take into account Doors, Windows etc..

   Best Solution: Find listed on every side print of Gallon or Pale purchased the coverage area/amount for the given paint which most commonly ranges from 300sq/ft-400sq/ft (350sq/ft as the median. This measure directly correlates to the formula (L)x(W) mentioned above.

   Given the total area of 10×12 for room A and 10×20 for Room B and assuming 2 coats are needed for even coverage.

   Room A: 10×12=120
   120×2=240
   240/350= 0.7 lbs needed

   Room B: 10×20=200
   200×2=400
   400/350= 1.2 lbs needed

   Total paint needed for Room A+B= 1.9 lbs

   Note: If Both rooms are Painted in the same colour 2 gallons are needed

   If Room A and Room B are being coated in different colours 1 gallon is needed for room A and 2 Gallons are needed for Room B

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2. I would have to agree with Bunny from North Carolina on this one. That calculator is definitely a handy tool to use. What type of interior paint do you intend to use? I recently painted one of my rooms with California Paint's interior paint and it looks beautiful.

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3. How well the wall absorbs paint is a factor… Are you thinning the paint with an additive? That can save you an extra gallon and you can eat prime rib that night while it dries! Those paint-calculators always make me laugh (industry hype) Ive been painting for years, and I eat prime rib often 😉

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