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How to know how much paint to buy

Determine your paint requirements

You can save yourself time and money by pre determining the volume of paint you require before purchasing. This will ensure you do not run out of paint in the middle of your paint job and also that you are not left with too much left over paint that will go to waste.


Calculating Area

For a rectangular room with the average sized windows and doors;
Measure the length and width
Round off each figure to the nearest half - meter and add them together
Multiply the total by the room height, and then double that.
The final figure is the total area of your walls in square meters.
From this total, subtract 1.5m square meters for each of the windows and 2 square meters for each door.

Ceiling area is the length multiplied by the width of the room.

If the room is an unusual shape:
First measure the height and width of each rectangular section to be painted. Multiply these figures to get the area, and then add them together for the total area.
A Stairwell often forms a triangular shape. For the area of the triangle, multiply the lengths of the horizontal and vertical legs and divide by 2.

 

Trim:
If you plan to paint the trim a different colour, calculate these areas separately.

 

Doors:
Allow 2 square meters for each side of a door and 1.5 square meters for a single size window frame. A skirting board area is its height x its length (generally the same as the perimeter of the room) When you know the total area you will cover, you have half of the information you need before you order your paint.
The rest depends on the covering capacity of the type of paint you select.



Working out how much paint you need

If your walls are smooth, estimate on covering 14 to 16 square meters with a liter of matt or semi-gloss paint. Divide your area figure by that amount to arrive at the number of liters you need for a first coat

If you are using finishing paint on porous, rough or previously unpainted walls, a liter will cover less than that.

You can count on more coverage with your second coat. Always check the information on the paint tin, as different types of paint have different spreading capacities.

5 lites of paint is generally sufficient to cover a 4m x 5m room with a 3m ceiling and smooth, previously painted walls. The ceiling of the 4m x 5m room would take 1.5m liters (if you must buy 2 liters, you can reserve the extra for repairs)



Working out how long your paint job will take

In one hour it is possible to cover about 7 square meters of an ordinary surface, or about 5 square meters of wood or plaster.

You should be able to paint a 4m x 5m room with one coat in 5 - 6 hours. If you apply 2 coats, you must allow time for the first coat to dry. Allow four hours for water - based paint and overnight for oil-based paint (the estimated drying time should be detailed on the paint can)

You can safely estimate that it should take 2 - 3 days to paint a room and clean up afterwards.


Red Fig Services - tel: 0415 090 672 – email: info@redfig.com.au – PO Box 459, Double Bay, 1360