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Paint Calculator

Work out how many gallons of paint a room needs, accounting for coats, doors and windows so you buy once, not twice.

Live · paint calculator

How much paint do I need?

Enter the room and get gallons at 350 sq ft per gallon.
Each door subtracts ~21 sq ft.
Each window subtracts ~15 sq ft.
You'll need about

How this calculator works

We measure the four walls, subtract the openings you won't paint, then multiply by the number of coats and divide by paint coverage.

  • Wall area = 2 × (length + width) × height
  • Openings = doors × 21 sq ft + windows × 15 sq ft
  • Gallons = ceil(paintable area × coats ÷ 350)

One gallon covers roughly 350 sq ft on a smooth, primed wall. Rough, porous or dark-to-light surfaces cover less — add a coat if you're going from a dark colour to a light one.

Frequently asked questions

How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover?

A gallon covers about 350 square feet in one coat on a smooth, primed surface. Textured, porous or previously unpainted drywall can drop that to 250–300 sq ft, so round up.

Do I need to subtract for doors and windows?

Yes. We subtract about 21 sq ft per door and 15 sq ft per window. On a small room those openings are a meaningful share of the wall, so leaving them in over-orders paint.

How many coats should I plan for?

Two coats is standard for a colour change or fresh drywall. Use one coat only for a light refresh of the same colour, and three when going dark-to-light or over a bold accent wall.

Does this include the ceiling?

No — this figure is walls only. To paint the ceiling, add its area (length × width) and run it as a separate one- or two-coat job.

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Turn this estimate into a whole-project plan

The Home Renovation Project Manager rolls every calculator into one budget — room by room, with a shopping list, contractor quote comparison and a live over-budget warning.

Budget vs actual for every room
Material lists that build your shopping cart
Side-by-side contractor quote comparison
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