Paint for a 16×18 room

2.8 gallons (buy 3 gal)

for two coats on 493 sq ft of wall: 8 ft ceilings, one door, two windows, 350 sq ft per gallon.

Paint for a 16×18 room by ceiling height

Ceiling heightWall area1 coat2 coats
8 ft493 sq ft1.4 gal2.8 gal
9 ft561 sq ft1.6 gal3.2 gal
10 ft629 sq ft1.8 gal3.6 gal
12 ft765 sq ft2.2 gal4.4 gal

Wall area subtracts one door (21 sq ft) and two windows (15 sq ft each). Ceiling: 288 sq ft, 0.82 gal per coat.

How it’s worked out

  1. Perimeter: 2 × (18 + 16) = 68 ft.
  2. Wall area: 68 × 8 ft = 544 sq ft, minus 21 for the door and 30 for the windows = 493 sq ft.
  3. Two coats: 493 × 2 ÷ 350 = 2.82 gallons.

Change the numbers

Wall paint needed

2.8 gallons

Buy 3 gallons for 493 sq ft of wall, 2 coats.

Wall area (less doors and windows)493 sq ft
Wall paint2.82 gal: buy 3 gallons
Ceiling paint, 1 coat0.82 gal: buy 1 gallon
Primer, 1 coat1.41 gal

Other room sizes

Questions

How much paint do I need for a 16×18 room?
About 2.8 gallons for two coats on the walls of a 16×18 room with 8 ft ceilings, one door and two windows: buy 3 gal. The ceiling takes another 0.8 gallons per coat.
How many square feet of wall is a 16×18 room?
544 sq ft of wall with 8 ft ceilings, or about 493 sq ft after one door and two windows.
How much does it cost to paint a 16×18 room?
Paint for the walls costs about $120 at $40 a gallon. Professional painters typically charge $2 to $6 per square foot of floor area, about $576 to $1,728 here.

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