How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover?

It depends on the paint and the surface. The coverage is printed on the can, and the calculator starts with a common figure you should replace with the one for your paint.

Should I include the ceiling?

Only if you are painting it. The calculator keeps walls and ceilings separate, so you can see how much of each you need.

What does the waste allowance do?

It adds a little extra for spills, rolling losses and touch-ups. Change it to suit how you work.

Can this price the job?

It tells you how much paint to buy. To turn that into a quote with your own rates, use the quote tools in QuoteDash.

Calculators

Paint coverage calculator

Enter your rooms, and get how much paint to buy for the walls and the ceilings. It works from the sizes you give it and the coverage printed on the can, so you can change any number to fit the job.

Free, and you don't need an account. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Rooms

Room 1

LengthftWidthftCeiling heightft

Doors and windows

Doors to paint aroundWindowsArea of one doorsq ftA starting value: change it.Area of one windowsq ftA starting value: change it.

The paint

Also paint the ceilings

CoatsCoveragesq ftOne gallon covers this much. Check the can.Waste%Extra for spills and touch-ups.

How much paint

Enter a room's length, width and ceiling height to see how much paint you need.

How it works

Wall area is the distance around each room times the ceiling height. Ceiling area is the length times the width.
Doors and windows are taken off the wall area. Their sizes are starting values: change them to match the job.
The area is multiplied by the number of coats, divided by how far a gallon goes, and increased by the extra you allow for waste and touch-ups.
Walls and ceilings are shown separately, since they are often painted with different paint.

Tips

Read the coverage off the can you plan to use. It varies with the paint and with how rough or thirsty the surface is.
Dark colors over light, bare plaster and new drywall may need an extra coat or a primer: add a coat or raise the waste.
Round up to whole gallons when you buy, and keep a little for touch-ups.
Measure each room separately and add them here, rather than guessing a total.

Or let QuoteDash do the sums

QuoteDash builds a painting quote from your own price list, with paint as a line by the gallon and your cost behind it, so you see the profit as you price the job.

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Questions

How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover?: It depends on the paint and the surface. The coverage is printed on the can, and the calculator starts with a common figure you should replace with the one for your paint.
Should I include the ceiling?: Only if you are painting it. The calculator keeps walls and ceilings separate, so you can see how much of each you need.
What does the waste allowance do?: It adds a little extra for spills, rolling losses and touch-ups. Change it to suit how you work.
Can this price the job?: It tells you how much paint to buy. To turn that into a quote with your own rates, use the quote tools in QuoteDash.

Free template to go with it

Painting estimate template