How many square feet does a quart of paint cover?
A quart of paint covers about 88 square feet with one coat, a quarter of the 350 square feet per gallon printed on most cans, or roughly 45 square feet at two coats. That is one coat on a 10 x 8 ft accent wall (80 square feet), both sides of a door with plenty left, or the trim in a bedroom. Two coats on that accent wall need 2 quarts, and the walls of a small bathroom 5, at which point a gallon is the better buy.
Coverage by container
Everything follows from the figure on the can: 350 square feet per gallon for one coat on a smooth, previously painted surface, which is what the table uses. Rough, bare or textured surfaces cover less; the gallon coverage guide has the figures by surface.
| Container | Litres | One coat (sq ft) | Two coats (sq ft) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample pot (8 oz) | 0.24 | 22 | 11 |
| Quart | 0.95 | 88 | 44 |
| Gallon | 3.79 | 350 | 175 |
| 5 gallon pail | 18.93 | 1,750 | 875 |
What a quart actually does
Small jobs are where quarts make sense. The areas in the table are typical; measure yours. The paint calculator gives quarts if you set the can size to 0.95 litres.
| Job | Area (sq ft) | One coat (quarts) | Buy | Two coats (quarts) | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One side of an interior door | 20 | 0.23 | 1 | 0.47 | 1 |
| Both sides of a door | 41 | 0.47 | 1 | 0.93 | 1 |
| Baseboards in a 12 x 12 room (48 ft x 4 in) | 16 | 0.18 | 1 | 0.37 | 1 |
| Trim, casings and baseboards, 12 x 12 room | 56 | 0.64 | 1 | 1.28 | 2 |
| One accent wall, 10 ft x 8 ft | 80 | 0.91 | 1 | 1.83 | 2 |
| Small ceiling, 8 x 10 ft | 80 | 0.91 | 1 | 1.83 | 2 |
| Walls of a 5 x 8 ft bathroom, 8 ft ceiling, one door | 188 | 2.14 | 3 | 4.29 | 5 |
How the numbers are worked out
Area divided by the coverage per quart (87.5 square feet), times the number of coats, rounded up to whole quarts. The accent wall: 80 / 87.5 = 0.91 quarts per coat, 1.83 for two. The paint calculator takes any area, coverage and can size, and subtracts doors and windows for whole rooms.
Quart or gallon?
Two quarts of the same paint often cost as much as a gallon. If the job is over about 90 square feet at two coats, or you will want the same colour again for touch-ups, buy the gallon. Quarts are for trim, doors, a single accent wall, furniture and colour tests; sample pots are for the colour test only, since their finish is not always the same as the full product.
Before you buy
- Trim and doors take a different paint (semi-gloss or satin enamel) from the walls, so they are always a separate can.
- A whole room is gallon territory: the 10x10 room guide and the 12x12 room guide have the sizes worked out.
- Keep the quart after the job, labelled with the room: a year later it is the touch-up paint you cannot buy matched.
Frequently asked questions
- How many square feet does a quart of paint cover with two coats?
- About 44 square feet: the same 88 square feet of coverage spread over two coats. A 10 x 8 ft accent wall at two coats is 1.8 quarts of paint, so 2 quarts; a 12 x 8 ft wall needs three, and a gallon is the better buy.
- Will a quart of paint cover a door?
- Yes, both sides. An interior door is about 20 square feet per side, so a quart does two coats on both sides with paint to spare; a quart of trim paint typically does two doors and their frames. Exterior doors in a dark colour may need a third coat.
- Will a quart of paint cover one wall?
- One coat on a wall up to about 88 square feet (12 x 7 ft). Two coats on a full-height 12 x 8 ft wall need three quarts, and at that price a gallon usually costs about the same and gives you matching paint for touch-ups later.
- How much does a quart of paint cover on exterior surfaces?
- Less: rough siding, stucco and bare wood absorb more, so 50 to 70 square feet per quart is a safer planning figure, and primer even less. A quart of exterior paint is for a door, shutters or a small repair, not a wall.
- How many quarts are in a gallon, and is a gallon cheaper?
- Four quarts make a gallon (3.79 litres). Per square foot a gallon is usually much cheaper than four quarts, so from about two quarts up buy the gallon. Quarts win for accent colours, trim and anything you will not repaint for years.
- How many square feet does a litre of paint cover?
- About 10 square metres per litre on smooth walls, which is 108 square feet; a litre is a little more than a quart (1.06 quarts). Sample pots of 250 ml cover about 2.5 m², or a 1.5 x 1.5 m patch, enough to test a colour on two walls.
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 much paint for a 10x10 room? (10x12, 12x14 and 14x16 too)
Gallons of paint for a 10x10 room with an 8 ft ceiling, a door and two windows, one or two coats, plus the ceiling; 10x12 to 14x16 rooms; 3x3 to 4x5 m rooms in litres.
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.