Rule of thumb A one-gallon can of paint will cover up to 400 square feet, which is enough to cover a small room like a bathroom. Two one-gallon cans of paint cover up to 800 square feet, which is enough to cover an average-sized room. A gallon of roof paint will cover approximately 350 to 400 square feet. If you want to make a drastic color change, such as from black to a light neutral color, you'll usually need additional coats of paint to cover that super dark color with total opacity.
For example, if you know that you are going to cover a dark wall with a light-colored paint, you will probably want to apply a second coat, even after applying the primer. Keep in mind that better paint is consistent with the raw materials used, such as acrylic resins and rich pigments, Ebel adds. 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. On the other hand, any excess custom paint you ordered to polish the kitchen cabinets will remain in the garage.
When it comes to finishing, you may have heard that the thicker it is, the higher the coverage rate, but it's not enough to change the number of gallons you need to buy, Mundwiller says. To determine how much paint you'll need for your painting project, you'll need a measuring tape and maybe a calculator, depending on your math skills. Here, painting experts offer even more tips for calculating the number of gallons (or perhaps just a quart of paint) needed to paint walls, regardless of the surface or height of the walls. Fresh drywall is very porous and will absorb much of the paint, so it's essential to first prime drywall with at least two coats.
First, you'll need to understand the paint coverage in order to make a correct estimate of the interior paint. Usually, a quart of paint should cover a furniture project done by yourself or if you want to repaint the frame of a fireplace. 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. If you are going to paint a room (or whatever), you must determine how many square feet you intend to cover.
There's nothing more frustrating when your brushes are wet and you realize that there isn't enough paint to finish your living room. For something very small, such as painting a mirror frame or stenciling a design, a sample size container is sufficient painting.
