Painting Contractor Explains How Much Paint to Use (2024)

Painting Contractor Explains How Much Paint to Use (1)

When painting your home, it’s difficult to know how much paint you’ll need.

There’s a lot to take into consideration.

For starters, no two homes are alike. Naturally, the bigger the house, the more paint you’ll need.

You need to think about the actual paint you’ll be using as well.

All paints have a spread rate that determines how much square footage per gallon. The rule of thumb is 250 to 400 square feet per gallon per coat depending on the porosity.

Determining the Right Amount of Paint for Your Home

The best way to figure out how much paint you need is to take length of home multiplied by the height.

For example – 10’ long x 10’ highequals 100 square feet. The average 1200 square foot ranch/rambler home would take about 12 to15 gallons of paint for two coats. This includes painting the overhangs, siding, & soffits.

The accent trim will take two to three gallons of paint for the fascia, gutters, and window trim. The average two story home (about 2,500 square feet) will take 22 to 25 gallons of paint for siding, soffits, and overhangs and 3 to 5 gallons for accented trim.

For a larger home (around 3000 square feet), it will take 25 to 30 gallons and 5 to 7 gallons for the accented trim.

The cost break down is about $1,100 to $1,350 for paint and supplies for the rambler home. The cost ofthe two story home will be around $1,825 to $2000.

The larger 3,000 square foot home will cost around $2,700 to $3000+.

Not All Paints are the Same

It’s important to keep in mind that not all paints are created equal!

At Painting America, Inc., we specify premium paint offering premium results

Benjamin Moore Regal High Build Exterior paint is a great product that will last at least 15 plus years. We highly recommend Benjamin Moore Aura in satin finish for all accented trim.

When it comes to paint, you get what you pay for.

The cost of premium paint is naturally more, than low level paint, because it contains different ingredients to provide longevity, color retention and superior adhesion, providing 15-18 years of protection to the exterior surfaces of your home.

No need to paint every 5 years!

Spending more on paint now, saves you dollars over the life time of the paint job.

Contact a Painting Contractor for Professional Help

For more information on painting your home or to receive an estimate, contact us at Painting America, Inc at 425-488-1192 or contact us here
**

Share This Article

Painting Contractor Explains How Much Paint to Use (2024)

FAQs

How do you estimate how much paint you need? ›

Rule-of-thumb

One gallon can of paint will cover up to 400 square feet, which is enough to cover a small room like a bathroom. Two gallon cans of paint cover up to 800 square feet, which is enough to cover an average size room.

How do I determine the right amount of paint? ›

Paint Quantity: Walls

Multiply this by the height of the room, say 2.5 metres, 20 x 2.5 = 50 square metres. 2 coats is required, so get enough paint to cover 100 square metres. REMEMBER- measure any windows or doors, to remove this from your measurement, which reduces the amount of paint required.

How do you calculate paint quantity? ›

The amount of paint required is therefore:
  1. Surface area: 42 square metres.
  2. Divided by. Spreading rate: 11 square metres per litre.
  3. Multiplied by. Number of coats: 2 coats.
  4. Equals. 42/11 x 2 = 7.6 litres.

What should be included in a paint estimate? ›

The Interior Painting Estimate - What Should it Include?
  • The paint contractor's contact details. Company name, address, telephone number, website, etc. ...
  • The paint contractor's business details. ...
  • The scope of the project. ...
  • The paint specifications. ...
  • Start dates and completion dates. ...
  • The cost. ...
  • Terms and conditions.

How do painters calculate square footage? ›

To estimate the square footage, you multiply length x width. For example: If you are painting a bedroom, you should measure from corner to corner of a wall and then measure the height. So if your wall is 12 ft wide and 8 ft high, that wall is 96 square feet.

How much paint do you need for a 2000 sq ft house? ›

If you divide 400 by 2000, it gives you five. So, for 2000 square feet, you will likely need 5 gallons of interior house paint. For the top-rated interior paint, you can expect to pay anywhere between $50 – $80 per gallon. We recommend top brands, such as Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams.

What is the 80 20 rule paint? ›

Following the 80-20 color rule is really simple. It states that the majority of your room – 80% – should be decorated in neutral colors, such as whites, creams, beige or pale pastel hues.

How much does 1 gallon of paint cover? ›

Most typically, a gallon of paint covers anywhere from 350 to 400 square feet, so a gallon of paint is enough to cover a small space like a bathroom. Depending on the number of coats you intend to paint, one to two gallons of paint is the average amount for a typical sized room.

How much paint is needed for a 10x10 room? ›

The number of coats and the size of the surface to be painted will determine how much paint is needed. A 10x10 space with typical 8-foot ceilings should require 3 to 4 litres of paint, at the most.

How much paint per sq ft? ›

As mentioned earlier, a gallon of paint covers 350 sq ft of a wall. That means 1 liter of paint covers approximately 92 sq ft of a wall. However, note that different types of paints will have different paint coverage.

How much does it cost to paint a ceiling? ›

Painting a ceiling is a little more difficult than painting a room or wall, and the cost reflects that. For a 12-by-12-foot room, the cost to paint a ceiling is $250 on average. You could sometimes pay as little as $150, but if your ceiling requires two coats of paint, you could pay as much as $350.

How much paint is needed for a 12x12 room? ›

How much paint is needed for a 12'x12' room? You'd need about 1.5 gallons of paint to cover a 12'x12' room with 8-foot-high walls.

What should a contractors estimate look like? ›

When you're creating an estimate, it should describe the work and the approximate costs. A proposal includes much more information, which depends on what the client wants to know. They could ask for anything from a detailed project timeline to a complete history of your contractor business.

What is the margin on painting contractors? ›

A house painting contractor earns ~25% operating profit margin (EBITDA margin) after operating costs (salaries, materials, etc.) have been incurred. Indeed, there are various recurring costs involved in running a house painting business.

Does a painters quote include paint? ›

Your estimate should include how many people will be working on your home painting project and how much it will cost to pay them. Materials. The estimate should also include paint cost information and estimated costs of any other equipment or materials needed to complete the job. Other common details.

How much does 5 gallons of paint cover? ›

Q: How many square feet does a 5-gallon bucket of paint cover? A: A 5-gallon bucket of paint can cover up to 2000 square feet of space.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Jerrold Considine

Last Updated:

Views: 5886

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (78 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Jerrold Considine

Birthday: 1993-11-03

Address: Suite 447 3463 Marybelle Circles, New Marlin, AL 20765

Phone: +5816749283868

Job: Sales Executive

Hobby: Air sports, Sand art, Electronics, LARPing, Baseball, Book restoration, Puzzles

Introduction: My name is Jerrold Considine, I am a combative, cheerful, encouraging, happy, enthusiastic, funny, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.