You'll need about 5 gallons of paint to paint the interior of a 2,000 square foot home. A gallon of paint covers about 360 to 400 square feet, so if you divide 400 by 2000, you get 5 gallons of paint. Determining how much paint to buy for a specific area can be tricky if you're not familiar with calculating what you need. The calculator makes several basic assumptions in its calculations, each of which is based on a specific formula that many people use to calculate paint needs.
We all know that priming walls before painting is generally recommended, but it can be tempting to skip this step. Remember that the coverage will vary slightly depending on the texture of the walls, the thickness with which you apply the paint and the color you use or intend to cover. The main reason is that you should make sure to apply a second coat of primer, since the objective is to prepare the wall area for the color of the paint. Nobody wants to rush to a home improvement store at the last minute because all of a sudden a can of paint is empty and there's not enough to apply a second coat.
That's just a total of 69 square feet, so you'll need 1 quart for one coat of paint or 2 quarts for two. You'll know that the paint has ruined if the lid or the can itself is bulging, if there's a film on top of the paint, or if the paint doesn't mix well or stays mixed. When measuring a wall, don't include plinths, ceiling moldings, or other ornaments, as you're likely to paint them with a different type of paint or color. To calculate the number of gallons you need, divide the surface you intend to paint by the coverage area of the painting.
Anyone undertaking their first interior painting project for a home has probably been left in the painting aisle wondering how many cans they'll need to bring home. There's nothing more frustrating when your brushes are wet and you realize that there isn't enough paint to finish your living room. At the other end of the spectrum, a deep color base tends to require more coats of paint than a lighter color, says Carolyn Noble, director of color design and marketing at Pratt & Lambert. Typically, a gallon of paint covers about 400 square feet with a single coat, says Natalie Ebel, co-founder of Backdrop, a paint company, who recommends applying a second coat for optimal coverage that shows the depth and nuance of the paint's color.
Now that you're ready to get started, use the links below to find a Glidden dealer near you or to calculate the amount of paint needed for another project.
