Craft & Design
Paint Coverage
Gallons of paint and primer for a surface area — latex, chalk, stain, varnish, with real $/gallon cost.
Paint Coverage
Inputs
Results
Paint to buy
2.29 gal raw, rounded to nearest quart
2.50 gal
Paint cost
$130.00
Primer to buy
1.75 gal
Primer cost
$66.50
Total paint cost
$196.50
How to use this
Textured, porous, and dark-over-light surfaces drink more paint. Add 10-15% for detail cutting-in and touch-ups. Chalk paint covers the least (~150 sq ft/gal) because it's thick; clear varnish covers the most (~500) because it's thin.
Rounding up to the nearest quart matches how paint is actually sold — you can't buy 1.37 gal.
Formula
gallons = (sq_ft × coats) ÷ coverage_per_gal
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Formula
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