How Much Paint do I Need? How to Estimate Accurately for Your Project

person pouring paint into a decorating tray
(Image credit: getty images)

So you’ve decided on the colours for your room makeover, but now the big question: "how much paint do I need?"

Buy too little and you won't be able to get the job finished. This can leave unwanted edges when painting a wall or door. It can also leave a colour mismatch. The same colour from a different batch may vary slightly and will be noticed, especially on a large wall. 

Steve Jenkins

Steve Jenkins is a freelance content creator with over two decades of experience working in digital and print and was previously the DIY content editor for Homebuilding & Renovating. 

He is a keen DIYer with over 20 years of experience in transforming and renovating the many homes he has lived in. He specialises in painting and decorating, but has a wide range of skills gleaned from working in the building trade for around 10 years and spending time at night school learning how to plaster and plumb.

He has fitted kitchens, tiled bathrooms and kitchens, laid many floors, built partition walls, plastered walls, plumbed in bathrooms, worked on loft conversions and much more. And when he's not sure how to tackle a DIY project he has a wide network of friends – including plumbers, gas engineers, tilers, carpenters, painters and decorators, electricians and builders – in the trade to call upon.