Cost guide · Paint
How much paint for a 12x12 room?
2 gallons. A 12 × 12 room with 8 ft walls has 384 sq ft of wall; less one door and two windows, 333 sq ft. Two coats at 350 sq ft per gallon is 1.9 gallons, so buy 2. Painting the ceiling too brings it to 3 gallons. Paint and supplies at $42.00 a gallon: $119.00.
Prices Ballpark U.S. home-center figures, not quotes. Default price list reviewed . Enter local prices in the calculator for a tighter number.
Materials takeoff
How much paint for a 12x12 room? · https://estimahome.com/guides/paint-12x12-room/
Room length: 12 ftRoom width: 12 ftWall height: 8 ftDoors: 1 eaWindows: 2 ea
- Wall area
- 333 sq ft
- Ceiling
- Not included
- Paint needed
- 1.9 gal
- Buy
- 2 gal
| No. | Item | Qty | Unit | Unit cost | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paint, 2 coats | 2 | gal | $42.00 | $84.00 |
| 2 | Rollers, brushes, tape, tray | 1 | set | $35.00 | $35.00 |
- Subtotal
- $119.00
- Likely range
- $101.15 – $136.85
- Ceilings usually take a flat ceiling paint; it is priced here at the wall-paint price.
- Big color changes, bare drywall and rough texture can need an extra coat.
Buy these materials
- 2 gallons of interior paintAmazon search for gallons of interior paint (opens in new tab)
- 1 paint roller kitAmazon search for paint roller kit (opens in new tab)
Links open a store search for each item. Check sizes and grades against your plan.
Open the paint calculator with these inputsChange any measurement, assumption or price and the takeoff updates.
How the numbers work
- Gross wall: 2 × (12 + 12) × 8 = 384 sq ft.
- Openings: 1 door × 21 + 2 windows × 15 = 51 sq ft. Net wall 333 sq ft.
- Paint: 333 × 2 coats ÷ 350 sq ft per gallon = 1.9 gal; buy 2.
- Cost: 2 × $42.00 + 1 × $35.00 = $119.00.
Comparison
| Room | Wall area | Walls | Walls + ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft | 269 sq ft | 2 gal | 3 gal |
| 12 × 12 ft | 333 sq ft | 2 gal | 3 gal |
| 12 × 14 ft | 365 sq ft | 3 gal | 4 gal |
| 14 × 16 ft | 429 sq ft | 3 gal | 4 gal |
| 16 × 20 ft | 525 sq ft | 3 gal | 5 gal |
Each row is a separate run of the Paint Calculator at default prices. The highlighted row is the project above.
What changes the cost
- Paint grade
- Paint is 71% of this list at $42.00 a gallon. Contractor-grade paint costs less and often needs the extra coat; premium lines cost more and hide better. Enter your price.
- Coverage and waste
- 350 sq ft per gallon is a planning figure for smooth, previously painted walls. Use the number on your can. Rough texture and bare drywall take more. There is no separate waste factor: rounding up to whole gallons is the margin, and the leftover is your touch-up paint.
- Primer and color changes
- Bare drywall, stains and big color changes call for primer. One coat of primer here is 2 gallons and raises the total to $175.00.
- Trim and ceiling
- Trim, doors and ceilings usually take a different paint and sheen than walls. Ceiling paint is priced here at the wall-paint price; trim paint is not counted.
- Labor versus DIY
- These are register prices for doing the work yourself. A contractor's bid adds labor, equipment, overhead, permit fees where they apply, and markup on materials, so it will run well above this figure. Get two or three written bids against the same plan and compare the material lists line by line. Prep is most of a painter's time: moving furniture, patching, sanding, caulking and taping.
- Regional prices
- Default prices are ballpark U.S. home-center figures. Expect them to differ by region, season, brand and grade. Enter your store's prices in the calculator and every quantity on this page reprices. Paint prices vary more by brand and product line than by region.
Questions
Is one gallon of paint enough for a 12x12 room?
One coat on 333 sq ft of wall at 350 sq ft per gallon is 0.95 gallons, so one gallon covers one coat with little to spare. Two coats need 2.
How much paint for a 12x12 ceiling?
144 sq ft takes about 0.82 gallons for two coats at 350 sq ft per gallon. One gallon of ceiling paint covers it.
Should I buy a 5-gallon bucket?
Not for one room. A 5-gallon bucket makes sense when the same color goes on several rooms, and it keeps the color consistent from wall to wall.
Figures computed with the Paint Calculator and the default price list (/api/prices.json, reviewed October 20, 2026). Quantities are rounded up to what stores sell. Updated 2026-10-20.