How Much Paint Do I Need for a 12x12 Room?
A 12x12 room with 8 ft walls, one door and one window takes 1.99 gal of paint for two coats at 350 ft² a gallon, which buys as 2 × 1 gal cans; one coat takes 0.99 gal, which buys as 1 × 1 gal can.
Estimates for planning, not professional advice. Read the full notice.
Work it out for your own sizes
Set your own room in the paint calculatorExample to try: Room length 12 ft, Room width 12 ft, Wall height 8 ft, Coats 2 coats
Paint by room size, coats and openings
Exact paint for three room sizes with eight foot walls, one door and one window, for one and two coats, with openings off and with the walls counted whole
| Room | One coat, openings off | Two coats, openings off | One coat, walls whole | Two coats, walls whole |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10x10 room | 0.81 gal | 1.62 gal | 0.91 gal | 1.83 gal |
| 10x12 room | 0.9 gal | 1.81 gal | 1.01 gal | 2.01 gal |
| 12x12 room | 0.99 gal | 1.99 gal | 1.1 gal | 2.19 gal |
Estimate for planning, from what you entered and the product data shown. Check product labels and your supplier before you buy.
Exact gallons before any can is chosen. The area one gallon covers is the rate PaintCare gives for paint whose rate is unknown (see the paint coverage chart). The door and window sizes and the ceiling and primer rates are the paint calculator's example inputs, not sourced figures; change them there for your own.
Cans to buy by room size and coats
Whole cans for the same three rooms with openings off, rounded up once to quarts
| Room | One coat | Two coats |
|---|---|---|
| 10x10 room | 4 × 1 qt cans | 7 × 1 qt cans |
| 10x12 room | 4 × 1 qt cans | 8 × 1 qt cans |
| 12x12 room | 4 × 1 qt cans | 8 × 1 qt cans |
What changes with a ceiling and primer
Painting the ceiling too adds 0.72 gal at the calculator's ceiling rate for the same coats, and one coat of primer over the walls and ceiling takes 1.64 gal at its default rate. Both rates are inputs you can change, and each is bought as its own product.
Counting the walls whole, with no door or window taken off, raises the paint to 2.19 gal for two coats.
Questions
Will one gallon of paint cover a 12x12 room?
Compare a gallon with the 12x12 row of the first table. The one coat column is the paint for a single coat on the walls, and the two coat column is twice that, at the default rate and with a door and a window taken off.
How much paint for a 10x10 room?
The tables have a row for a 10x10 room at one and two coats, with openings off and with the walls counted whole. Enter your own wall height in the calculator for a different room.
How much paint for a 10x12 room?
It has its own row in both tables. The paint grows with the distance around the room, so a 10x12 room sits between the 10x10 and 12x12 rows.
How much paint for a small bedroom?
A small bedroom is often near these sizes. Use the row closest to yours, or enter its length, width and wall height in the paint calculator to count its doors and windows as well.
How much primer for a 12x12 room?
Primer is one coat over the walls, and over the ceiling when you paint it. The calculator keeps its own coverage line for primer, which is an input you can change.
Calculate it for your project
Enter your own sizes to get the amount to buy or the layout figures, with the working shown and a page to print.
Enter your room in the paint calculator