Paint calculator: how much paint do I need?

Add up your walls, take off doors and windows, and pick the surface and number of coats. You'll see the litres needed and how many tins to buy.

Area to paint
30.6 m²
Paint needed
5.1 litres
5L tins
2
or 2.5L tins
3

Coverage figures are typical for trade emulsion. Check the tin, because brands and colours vary.

How it works

  1. 1Add up the length of every wall you're painting and measure the height.
  2. 2Take off doors and windows. A standard door is about 1.6m² and an average window about 1–1.5m².
  3. 3Pick the surface. Fresh plaster soaks up far more paint than a wall that's already been painted.
  4. 4Choose your coats. Two is normal; new plaster usually needs a mist coat plus two.
  5. 5Round up to whole tins. Leftover paint is handy for touch-ups.

Now find the cheapest place to buy

Take your quantities across to Price Planter and compare them across UK builders' merchants — including whether splitting the order across two merchants works out cheaper.

Compare material prices

Paint quantities use typical trade emulsion coverage and are a guide only — check the tin before ordering.

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