Calculating the Amount of Paint Needed to a Paint a House

We are planning to paint the exterior of our house soon. My question is; How do we figure the amount of paint needed for the job. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Judy from Birmingham, AL

Answers:

Calculating the Amount of Paint Needed to a Paint a House

Well, what you want to do is get the square footage of the area to be painted.Measure the height and multiply that figure in feet by the width in feet.That will give you the square footage of one wall.Do each wall and add the figures together.That will give about the total square footage of the house.On most paint cans it will tell how many square feet the gallon will cover.Divide that number into the square footage of your house.That will be the number of gallons you need.If the gallon paint can does not have the square footage marked on the label take the square footage of the house to the paint store.They can figure it for you.A gallon will cover about 400 square feet.But that is approximate.It depends on how thick the paint is applied and if the surface is smooth or rough. (09/28/2006)

By Dean

Calculating the Amount of Paint Needed to a Paint a House

Here's a paint calculator

http://www.behr.com/behrx/expert/calc-choose-ext.jsp?subnav=extcalc (09/28/2006)

By Mary

Calculating the Amount of Paint Needed to a Paint a House

http://www.improvenet.com/HomeOwner/ProjectTools/Calc/paint.html

Although this is for the interior of the house, the basic rules still apply!

1gal. of paint per 400 sq. ft and if you don't have a Wagner Spray Gun, invest! (don't forget to buy thinner for the gun also) (09/29/2006)

By Laurie