How Do You Know How Much Paint To Buy

Ever wondered how much paint do I need to buy to paint my house? This article will help you with your next painting project. Estimating correct number of gallons needed to purchase, painting your home, inside or out.

Always wanting to plan not having too much paint left over, because of the cost, and disposal is always a concern.

How Much Paint Do I Need To Paint My House?

Knowing how much paint you need to paint your house is key, since most paints require colorant added to the base, and therefore is non-returnable, unless of course it's the wrong color you've chosen.

So, unless you don't mind wasting money, having lots of paint left over, it's a good idea having some kind of idea how much paint you'll need painting your home. Below, will get into areas of concern, helping you figure this amount of paint you'll need for interior as well as exterior surfaces.

How Many Gallons Of Paint Do I need To Paint Interior Of My House?

Figuring how many gallons of paint you'll need painting your interior is critical for budgets, having no surprises halfway into your project. Keep this in mind, many enjoy bringing several colors into the home, painting each room or several different colors.

Each different color, and/or paint sheen requires additional paint when you finish. This adds to the cost, for each gallon of paint, having normally 1/4 to 1/2 gallon left over. The more colors, the more left over paint. So the number of colors is a direct impact on how many gallons of paint you will need, painting your interior.

Different Painted Surfaces in a Home

Several different surfaces to be aware when determining how much paint to pick up at your local Sherwin-Williams paint store. Here, we will discuss interior and exterior surfaces, as epoxy floor coatings and industrial direct to metal paints generally do not follow the norms of typical house paints, needing hardeners, and mixing agents.

Surfaces can can require different amounts of paint, for that luster and uniformity chiefly because of the porosity of different substrates. Dry times do not effect the amounts you need for a particular project, only the type of paint and the surface it is covering. However, if your looking for information about how much paint to buy for your laboratory or tub, this is the wrong place.

Interior Surfaces in the Home

Interior surfaces in your home include walls, trim, ceilings, windows, doors, cabinets, bookshelves, handrails, & doors. For a quality interior job, it is not wise to cut the cost of interior paint, as it will not go as far, needing additional coats, taking much more time.

Now that's not because I have an interest in you buying higher priced paints, it's because I know this to be fact, wishing to share some of my secrets of a painting contractor, here in Denver, CO.

Most interior surfaces fall into the range of 200-250 square feet of surface area, one coat application. This number increases when sprayed, thereby decreases when brushed and rolled. I will not bore you with mathematical calculations how to figure the amount of paint to buy, painting you're entire home, speaking here how much paint to buy for a particular surface.

Understanding the porosity of these interior surfaces are important, figuring how much paint to buy for each of those surfaces you plan covering. The worst, most porous surface is Popcorn ceilings, requiring paint coverage nearly half during the first coat, compared to a knockdown texture or orange-peel or level 5 smooth drywall finish.

Generally speaking, the hardest, most solid surfaces such as cabinets, door casings, baseboards, handrails, windows & doors allow a typical high quality paint to go further, typically 225 square feet of surface area.

Measuring width and height of all your surfaces, converting into feet, dividing by 225, will equal how many gallons of paint you'll want to buy. If these surfaces are bare, not having any paint coating, best to apply a high bonding primer, letting dry overnight before applying your finish coat.

How Many Gallons Needed To Paint Exterior Of My House?

Knowing how many gallons of paint needed, painting your exterior home is a good start, before heading to the paint store, having a good idea what you will be paying before walking through the door.

Exterior Painted Surfaces

Exterior painted surfaces tend to follow the same coverage areas as interior ones, having different substrates. Those include Stucco, brick, Masonite™, aluminum, vinyl, and Cedar siding.

We have painted many vinyl garage doors, with high quality paints adhering and covering properly.

Again, any surface not having a paint coating on it, best to apply an exterior bonding primer first, allowing to dry properly. Your finish coat will adhere much better, grabbing to the primer, as primers grab to unfinished surfaces much better.

After an exterior surface is prepped properly, the exterior paint will cover around 225 square feet of surface.

How Much Paint Do I Need To Paint My House?

Measuring the width, multiplying the height, dividing this total to 225 will give you a close figure of a one coat application. Putting on the proper mil thickness is important, painting exteriors, which is why most paint manufactures recommend a two coat wet on dry paint method.

Reason for this is the proper mil thickness is 11-13 mils dry. Remember to exclude decorative brick and stone, as this can be a considerable amount not needed.

Well, no matter how thick or the amount of viscosity it may have, it is impossible to put on enough paint on a vertical surface before it would sag, run, or drip. So, in order to paint 12 mils dry, you'll need to paint two coats, allowing the first coat to dry first.

Yes, the second coat will generally go further, after the first coat has dried, applying the top finish coat.

You will need to buy enough paint your home's surface at least one coat, preferably two. If spraying, you'll need enough paint to travel through the sprayers channels and hoses first, typically one extra gallon of each color your using.

A List Of Preferred Paint Suppliers Helping You With Number Of Gallons;

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/

http://www.behr.com/consumer/colorstudio

http://corporate.ppg.com/Home.aspx

https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us

Looking at the chart below, finding your approximate square footage of home under roof, you can see approximately how many gallons you will need to paint your exterior, two story or one.

              Siding Paint Needed, 2 Coats        --      Trim Paint Needed, 2 Coats

If you're here, thinking this is already a lot of work, and "I really don't have the time this is going to take...and you live in the Denver, Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs area, finding a reputable painting contractor.

Having over 40yrs. experience, with an A+ BBB rating. Our painters would enjoy hearing from you about your house painting requests!

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