How to Figure Out the Right Amount of Paint to Buy

When I did my first home painting project, the first thing on my mind was which color to pick. Once that was figured out, I was left wondering how much paint to buy. A friend of mine, who used to do home painting projects for a living, cued me in on a simple formula to determine how much paint to buy. Hope it can help you as well.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Figure out the total wall area for your home painting project. This is the total length of all the walls multiplied by the wall height.

2. Figure out the unpainted areas. (These are areas that you’re not going to paint, like doors and windows.) So, say you had a door and window that aren’t going to be painted. Find the area of the door by multiplying its length by its height. Do the same for the window. Then add up the total unpainted area for your home painting project.

3. Subtract the total unpainted area (in step 2) from the total wall area (in step 1). This is this paintable area for your home painting project.

4. Now it’s time to determine how much paint to buy. Divide the paintable area (in step 3) by 350 to find how many gallons are needed to paint smooth walls. For rough or textured walls, divide the paintable area by 300 to find out how many gallons of paint to buy.

5. My painter friend cautioned me to add 10 percent to the final calculation to offset any painting mishaps or dried up paint during my home painting project. Was buying the extra paint worth it? Definitely! To add 10 percent, just multiply your final calculation (in step 4) by .10 and then add that amount to the final calculation. Hope your home painting project goes as “smoothly” as you need it to be!

Resources

• How to Pick Exterior House Colors

[MidniteWriter]

on 12/28/2008 Finally I no longer have to guess! Thank you!