How much paint do I need to paint my room/apartment?
- Medium size room walls (12’ by 12’ by 8’High) will usually take about 3 quarts of a gallon. My rule of thumb is 3 gallons of good quality paint per every two bedrooms per two coats (if both bedrooms are the same colour).
- Most living rooms will usually take 2 gallons for two coats with some leftover for future touch-ups.
- A Bathroom will take half a gallon for two coats. Keep in mind bathrooms will require a medium to good quality paint or better yet a K&B (Kitchen and bathroom) paint.
- For the doors and trim, a gallon of paint will normally be enough for two coats for up to 7 doors and will have some left to do the trims and baseboards.
- For ceilings, you will need about half a gallon per room (12’ by 12’) for flat ceilings, textured ceilings will require about ¾ of a gallon per room, depending on whether they have been previously painted.
Pro tip: Paint will go much further if you limit the number of colours you use as paint rollers soak a lot of paint that cannot otherwise be used. If you limit yourself to 1 or 2 colours to paint the interior of your Home, you will have less expenses and your painting project will go much faster.
Sheens: sheen is basically how shinny paint is, every vendor has different sheens for each product making buying paint a bit confusing. Below we have provided a helpful guide to choosing the right sheen.
Sheen | Area to be painted |
Flat | Ceilings (textured or flat) as it hides imperfections better, but it cannot be washed. |
Velvet & Eggshell | Walls (bedrooms, living rooms, hallways, and closets). |
Pearl & Satin | Walls in Hospitals, restaurants, bathrooms. Bathroom ceilings*. Could be used in trims and doors if a not so shinny finish is wanted. |
Semigloss | Mostly used for trims and door for its durability and washability. |
Gloss or High gloss | Can be used on trims and doors, mostly sheen used on metal for its durability and weather protection. Highly washable but shows imperfections glaringly. |
There are some washable flat finished nowadays, but they only come in the most expensive paint products.
Satin and pearl finishes provide a bit more washability and durability needed for areas with lots of moisture.
