Paint coverage chart
Gallons for the walls of a square room with an 8-foot ceiling, one coat and two, with a door and a window taken out. Rolled, at 350 ft² to the gallon.
| Room | Wall area | One coat | Two coats | Buy for two coats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8' × 8' | 216 ft² | 0.7 gal | 1.4 gal | 1 gal + 2 qt |
| 10' × 10' | 280 ft² | 0.9 gal | 1.8 gal | 2 gal |
| 12' × 12' | 344 ft² | 1.1 gal | 2.2 gal | 2 gal + 1 qt |
| 14' × 14' | 408 ft² | 1.3 gal | 2.6 gal | 2 gal + 3 qt |
| 16' × 16' | 472 ft² | 1.5 gal | 3.0 gal | 3 gal |
| 20' × 20' | 600 ft² | 1.9 gal | 3.8 gal | 4 gal |
Reading it
- Walls only. A ceiling adds its own area — 144 ft² on a 12x12 room, which is another gallon for two coats.
- 350 ft² per gallon is a middling figure and every can states its own. Bare drywall and textured surfaces come in well under it.
- Spraying uses noticeably more than rolling for the same area; brushing uses the least and takes the longest.
For the case this table does not cover
- Paint and finish coverage
Gallons from an area and a coat count, with the cans to buy for brush, roller or spray.
- Wainscoting layout
Even picture-frame boxes across a wall, drawn as an elevation with the cut lengths underneath.