Things You'll Need:
- Paint supplies
- Paint
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Step 1
Use primer. If your existing wall color is much darker than your new shade, prime your walls first. Primer is less expensive than paint and one coat will reduce the number of paint coats you will need to cover the previous color. Conversely, painting your walls a dark shade usually requires more coats than lighter shades to get the proper coverage. To reduce costs, consider having a primer tinted the same color as your paint. This will reduce the number of coats of the more expensive wall color.
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Step 2
Use quality paint. A good quality paint will cover better than a cheap paint, resulting in fewer coats. In the long run you save both money and time using a more expensive paint.
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Step 3
Estimate amount. To make sure you start out with the right amount of paint, you can calculate the square footage of the walls in the room you're painting. Multiply the length and height of each wall you are painting and add them together. For example, if you have a 10 X 12 bedroom with 8ft ceilings= 10X8 + 10X8 + 12X8 + 12X8 = 352 sq ft. Most interior paints will cover about 400 sq ft per gallon. Remember doors and windows reduce the paintable wall space.
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Step 4
Buy remix paint. If keeping cost low is your main objective and you're not too picky about color, try remix paint. Most paint and home improvement stores will take unused, custom paint back in return, then resale it at a much lower cost. To prevent people from buying custom mixed paint, returning it, then buying it back at a discounted rate, many stores will change the color of the paint before placing it out for sale.
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Step 5
Buy in bulk. You can have paint custom mixed in 5 gallon quantities. Compare the prices, if you need a lot of paint, it may save you money to buy paint in 5 gallon increments.
