How to Calculate Square Feet for Painting

How to Calculate Square Feet for Painting
Written By
Kathryn Hatter
Kathryn Hatter
Published: Apr 15, 2010
Updated: Nov 20, 2021
1 minute read

If you take the time to figure your square footage accurately, you will end up buying the right amount of paint.

  1. Measure, in feet, the length of one wall you will paint. Measure the height of that wall, in feet. Write down both measurements. Multiply those measurements to find the number of square feet in the wall.

  2. Repeat Step 1 to find the square footage of each wall that you will paint.

  3. Add the square footage of the walls to determine the total area of the wall surfaces.

  4. Multiply the total area from Step 3 by the number of paint coats you intend to apply to the walls. That will give you the total wall area to which you will apply paint.

Things You Will Need

  • Tape measure
  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Calculator

Photo Credits

room painting image by Stephen Orsillo from Fotolia.com

room painting image by Stephen Orsillo from Fotolia.com

Kathryn Hatter

Kathryn Hatter is a veteran home-school educator, as well as an accomplished gardener, quilter, crocheter, cook, decorator and digital graphics creator. As a regular contributor to Natural News, many of Hatter's Internet publications focus…

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