How much paint for a 10x10 room? (10x12, 12x14 and 14x16 too)
A 10 x 10 ft room with an 8 ft ceiling has 320 square feet of wall, about 274 once a door and two windows are taken off. At the 350 square feet per gallon printed on a typical can that is 0.8 gallons for one coat and 1.6 for two, so you buy 2 gallons for two coats, with a gallon of ceiling paint on top. Bigger rooms and taller ceilings are in the tables.
Paint for a 10x10 room and the next sizes up
Wall area is the perimeter times the ceiling height, minus openings. Each row takes off one door (about 20 square feet) and two windows (about 13 each) and uses 350 square feet per gallon, the usual figure for a smooth, previously painted wall. Rough or bare walls take more; the coverage guide has the numbers by surface.
| Room | Walls gross (sq ft) | Walls net (sq ft) | One coat (gal) | Two coats (gal) | Buy (gallons) | Ceiling, two coats (quarts) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 x 10 ft | 320 | 274 | 0.78 | 1.56 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 x 12 ft | 352 | 306 | 0.87 | 1.75 | 2 | 3 |
| 11 x 12 ft | 368 | 322 | 0.92 | 1.84 | 2 | 4 |
| 12 x 14 ft | 416 | 370 | 1.06 | 2.11 | 3 | 4 |
| 14 x 16 ft | 480 | 434 | 1.24 | 2.48 | 3 | 6 |
10x10 with 8, 9 and 10 ft ceilings
| Ceiling | Walls net (sq ft) | One coat (gal) | Two coats (gal) | Buy (gallons) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft | 274 | 0.78 | 1.56 | 2 |
| 9 ft | 314 | 0.9 | 1.79 | 2 |
| 10 ft | 354 | 1.01 | 2.02 | 3 |
How the numbers are worked out
Perimeter 2 x (10 + 10) = 40 ft, times 8 ft = 320 square feet. Minus about 46 square feet of openings = 274. Divided by 350 = 0.78 gallons per coat; two coats 1.56; round up to whole cans. The paint calculator takes your own openings, coats and the coverage on your can.
One coat or two?
One coat is only enough when the new paint is the same colour and sheen as the old one on a wall in good condition. New drywall, a colour change, patched areas and anything dark to light need two, and the table's buy column assumes two. A 10x10 room at one coat is under a gallon, which is where quarts come in: 4 quarts cover one coat.
Metric: 3 x 3 m to 4 x 5 m rooms
A 10 x 10 ft room is roughly 3 x 3 m. With a 2.4 m ceiling and the same door and two windows, at 10 m² per litre as printed on typical emulsion, two coats come out as follows.
| Room | Walls net (m²) | Litres | 5 L cans | 2.5 L cans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 x 3 m | 24.5 | 4.9 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 x 4 m | 29.3 | 5.9 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 x 4 m | 34.1 | 6.8 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 x 5 m | 38.9 | 7.8 | 2 | 4 |
Before you buy
- Ceiling paint is a separate can; the ceiling guide has every size in quarts, gallons and litres.
- Trim, doors and windows use a different paint (semi-gloss or satin) and are counted separately: a quart does the trim in a room this size.
- Painting several rooms? The room planner totals walls and ceilings for a whole floor, and the 12x12 room guide is the next size up.
Frequently asked questions
- How many gallons of paint for a 10x10 room?
- 1.6 gallons for two coats on the walls, so buy 2; one coat is 0.8 gallons, or 4 quarts. Plan on two coats unless you are repainting the same colour on a sound wall.
- How much paint for a 10x10 room ceiling?
- The ceiling is 100 square feet: 0.29 gallons per coat, 0.57 for two, which is 3 quarts or one gallon of flat ceiling paint. Ceilings have no doors or windows to subtract.
- How many cans of paint for a 10x10 room?
- 2 gallon cans for the walls at two coats plus 1 gallon (or 3 quarts) for the ceiling. Buy the wall paint from one batch and mix the cans together before you start so the colour is even.
- How much paint for a 10x10 room in litres?
- About 5.9 litres for two coats on the walls. The metric table gives 3 x 3 m and larger rooms at 10 m² per litre in 2.5 and 5 litre cans.
- Does a 10x12 or 12x14 room need much more paint?
- A 10 x 12 room needs 1.7 gallons for two coats and a 12 x 14 room 2.1. Paint follows the perimeter, not the floor area: a long thin room has more wall than a square one of the same square footage.
- What if the ceiling is 9 or 10 ft?
- Every extra foot of ceiling adds 40 square feet of wall in a 10 x 10 room. Two coats need 1.8 gallons at 9 ft and 2 at 10 ft, so 3 gallons either way.
More guides
- How much paint do I need for a 12x12 room?
Gallons of paint for a 12 x 12 ft room with 8, 9 or 10 ft ceilings, one or two coats, a door and two windows deducted, plus the 4 x 4 m room in litres.
- How many square feet does a gallon of paint cover?
A gallon covers about 350 to 400 sq ft on smooth walls, less on rough or bare surfaces. Gallons for 400 to 2,000 sq ft at one and two coats, and litres per square metre.
- How much paint do I need for a ceiling?
Quarts and gallons of ceiling paint for 10x10, 12x12, 15x15 and 20x20 ft ceilings at one and two coats, plus 3x3 to 5x5 m ceilings in litres.
- How many square feet does a quart of paint cover?
A quart covers about 90 to 100 sq ft with one coat: what that means for a door, a wall, trim and a small ceiling at one and two coats, plus litres and 5 gallon pails.
Last updated 2026-09-12. Figures are planning estimates from typical product data: check the yield, size or coverage printed on what you buy and round up.