What painting a room costs
The cans the room needs, times what each costs. A 12 by 12 foot room with 8 foot walls, one door and one window, two coats, is 1.99 gallons: two gallon cans, which at the $38.98 this page starts with is $77.96. That price is our estimate, not a store's — no shelf price was read for it — so type what your store charges beside each can and every total on the page follows.
The cost is the paint only: your time, a painter's labor, tape, rollers and drop cloths are not in it. Primer and trim paint join the total when you switch them on, each priced at its own cans.
Why the mix of cans matters
Paint is cheaper by the gallon in a bigger can, so the page works out every mix of quarts, gallons and 5-gallon pails and buys the cheapest — unless one with fewer sizes costs no more than 2% over it. At the starting prices:
| Paint needed | Cheapest | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2.01 gal | 2 gal + 1 qt | $95.94 |
| 2.82 gal | 3 gal | $116.94 |
| 4.20 gal | 5 gal pail | $169.00 |
| 7.66 gal | 5 gal + 3 gal | $285.94 |
Rounding 2.01 gallons up to three gallon cans would cost $116.94, $21 more than two gallons and a quart. From a little over 4 gallons the pail costs less than gallons and quarts together. The pack table lists every way with its cost, so you can pick the one your store has on the shelf.
Cost per square foot
The room above is 349 square feet of wall: $77.96 over 349 is about 22 cents a square foot of wall for two coats. Add the ceiling and it is 493 square feet and three cans, $116.94, about 24 cents. Divide the total by the area on the page to get your own figure.
Uncheck anything you already have — a can left from the last job — and it comes off the total. We are not connected with any brand or store.