How Much Paint Do I Need?

When planning a painting project, knowing exactly how much paint you’ll need will save you a trip back to the paint store because you haven’t bought enough, or you find you've purchased way too much.

So how do you calculate how many litres of paint you will need?

Follow these simple steps to work out the formula:

👉 Calculate the surface area of your project by multiplying the length x height. If you have doors and windows in the area, simply measure the separate areas and subtract that number from your surface area.

👉 How many coats of paint will you need?

👉 Find out what your paint’s ‘spread rate’ or ‘theoretical coverage’ is by referencing the technical specifications of the paint or ask one of our friendly team members.

👉 Then you can go ahead and calculate the answer using this formula:

Surface Area ÷ Spread Rate x Number of Coats = Total Litres of Paint

There are lots of factors when working out how much paint is required. Experience gives the best knowledge as different surfaces may or may not be more porous. Application tends to pay a part too, the most common use is a roller and quite often people don’t roll out all the paint therefore lots gets left in the fibres especially when using a longer Nap.

So, head down to your local Paint Place store for the right advice to get your painting project done efficiently and cost-effectively.