Free paint and drywall calculators
How many gallons, sheets, buckets and rolls? Room paint, ceilings, primer, exteriors, drywall and mud, from the numbers on the label. Save each part of the job to one shopping list.
What are you working on?
Pick your project. Each one opens its own calculator, then the next steps.
- Painting a roomGallons of wall paint for a room, with doors and windows taken off and the number of coats.
- CeilingsGallons of ceiling paint for any room, smooth or textured, for one or two coats.
- House exteriorGallons of exterior paint for a house from its size or its square footage, with siding type, gables, doors and windows.
- Kitchen cabinetsQuarts or gallons of enamel and primer for kitchen or bathroom cabinets: doors, drawer fronts, frames and end panels.Then
- Deck or fenceGallons of deck paint or stain for the floor, railings and steps of a deck.
- WallpaperRolls of wallpaper for a room or one wall, counted strip by strip with the pattern repeat, for US double rolls or European rolls.
- Hanging drywallSheets of drywall for a room’s walls and ceiling, in 4×8, 4×12 or metric sizes, with large openings taken off.
- Taping & muddingGallons, pails and cartons of drywall mud for a number of sheets or an area, from USG’s published estimate.
Every calculator, by project
Interior paint 9
Exterior, deck & fence 3
Painting supplies 3
Wallpaper 1
Drywall 9
Popular sizes, already worked out
- How much paint for a 12x12 room1.91 gal: buy 2 gallons (walls only, 2 coats)
- How much paint for a 10x10 room1.54 gal: buy 2 gallons (walls only, 2 coats)
- How much paint for a 12x14 room2.09 gal: buy 2 gallons + 1 quart (walls only, 2 coats)
- How much does a gallon of paint cover350–400 sq ft per coat
- How much paint for a 12x12 ceiling0.82 gal: buy 1 gallon
- How much paint for an accent wall0.55 gal: buy 1 gallon
- How much paint for a 2,000 sq ft house exterior12.6 gal: 3 × 5-gal pails
- How much paint for kitchen cabinets0.57 gal of enamel: buy 1 gallon
- How much paint for a door0.75 qt: buy 1 quart
- How many sheets of drywall for a 12x12 room18 sheets of 4×8 (12 of 4×12)
- How much does a 4x8 sheet of drywall weigh51.2 lb (1/2 in regular; 40 lb lightweight)
- How much mud per sheet of drywallAbout 0.32 gal (1.3 qt) per 4×8 sheet
- How many drywall screws per 4x8 sheet28 screws per sheet (wall, studs 16 in apart)
- How many feet of caulk in a tube30.9 ft at a 1/4 in bead (55 ft at 3/16 in)
- How many rolls of wallpaper for a 12x12 room8 rolls (double rolls, 23 strips)
- How much paint for a 12x12 deck1.44 gal: buy 1 gallon + 2 quarts
Guides
- How to paint a room: quantities, order of work and drying timesPaint a room in the right order: measure and buy, prep and patch, prime, cut in and roll the ceiling, walls and trim, with the quantities for a 12×12 room.
- Lead paint safety when painting an older homePainting a house built before 1978? What EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting rule covers, and its advice for do-it-yourselfers on testing and cleanup.
- How to hang and finish drywall: materials and order of workHang and finish drywall in a room: sheets, screws, tape, mud and primer from USG’s figures, then hanging, taping, three coats, sanding and priming.
- Paint coverage chart: how much a gallon covers, and gallons per roomHow much a quart, gallon or 5-gallon pail covers, coverage by brand from the data sheets, and gallons of paint for rooms from 10×10 to 20×20.
- Paint sheen chart: flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss and glossPaint sheens in order from flat to gloss, with gloss readings from Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore and Behr data sheets, and the sheen for each room.
- Drywall sizes chart: sheet sizes and thicknessesStandard drywall sheet sizes (4×8 to 4×16, 54 in wide), square feet per sheet, and the 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 and 5/8 in thicknesses and what each is for.
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out how much paint I need?
Measure the wall area (perimeter × height, minus doors and windows), multiply by the number of coats and divide by the coverage on the can. Most interior wall paints list 350–400 sq ft per gallon per coat. A 12 × 12 ft room with 8 ft walls works out to about 2 gallons for two coats; the working is on how much paint for a 12x12 room.
How much does a gallon of paint cover?
The label is the answer, and it varies by product. Sherwin-Williams ProMar 200 lists 350–400 sq ft per gallon, Benjamin Moore Regal Select 400–450 and Behr Premium Plus 250–400, all per coat on smooth, primed walls. Rough or porous surfaces take more. See how much does a gallon of paint cover and the paint coverage chart.
How many sheets of drywall do I need for a room?
Add up the wall and ceiling area, take off large openings, add about 10% for cuts, and divide by the sheet size (32 sq ft for a 4 × 8, 48 sq ft for a 4 × 12). A 12 × 12 ft room with 8 ft walls is 528 sq ft with the ceiling; less a door and plus 10%, that is 18 sheets of 4 × 8. See how many sheets of drywall for a 12x12 room.
How much joint compound and tape do I need?
USG’s estimating table works out to about 10 gallons of All Purpose compound and 370 ft of paper tape per 1,000 sq ft of drywall, or roughly a third of a gallon and 12 ft of tape per 4 × 8 sheet. See how much mud per sheet of drywall.
Do I need primer before painting?
On new drywall, bare wood, patches and stains, yes; most wall-paint data sheets specify one coat of primer and two finish coats on new drywall. Going from a dark color to a light one, a coat of tinted primer over the whole wall usually saves a finish coat. A sound, previously painted wall getting a similar color usually doesn’t need it. The primer calculator works it out by surface.
How many coats of paint do I need?
Two is the usual, and what most data sheets specify over primer. One may do when you repaint the same or a similar color over sound paint; deep or bright colors over a light wall can need three. Every paint calculator here has a coats field, and how to paint a room explains the order of work.
Do the calculators work in metric?
Yes. Every calculator has a US / metric toggle and converts your entries when you switch. Paint is shown in litres with common tin sizes, drywall in millimetres and square metres.
Is my house old enough to worry about lead paint?
If it was built before 1978, assume the old paint may contain lead until it is tested. Sanding, scraping or heat-stripping it makes hazardous dust. EPA’s rules require certified renovators for paid work on pre-1978 homes, and EPA publishes precautions for do-it-yourselfers; see lead paint safety when painting an older home.