How much paint for a 1,000 sq ft house exterior?
A single-story 1,000 sq ft house with smooth siding has about 1,167 square feet of wall to paint and needs about 6.67 gallons of exterior paint for two coats. Buy 7 gallons, or a 5-gallon pail and two gallons.
How to work it out
- 1,000 sq ft ÷ 1 story = 1,000 sq ft footprint → 38.7 ft × 25.8 ft (1.5 : 1 rectangle)
- Walls: 2 × (38.7 ft + 25.8 ft) × 9 ft = 1,162 sq ft + 2 gables 167 sq ft
- − 2 doors and 8 windows = 1,167 sq ft
- 1,167 sq ft × 2 coats ÷ 350 sq ft/gal = 6.67 gal → 7 cans (7 gallons)
A small ranch, a cottage or a two-bedroom bungalow: 1,000 sq ft houses are where DIY exterior painting is most realistic. It is a single-story job you can do from a stepladder and an extension ladder, and the paint comes to under two pails.
Adjust for your project
More options: Pitch · Doors · Coverage …
- Exterior paint needed
- 6.67 gal (25.2 L)
- Cans of the size you chose
- 7 cans · 1-gallon
- Wall area to paint (one coat)
- 1,167 sq ft
- Paint per coat
- 3.33 gal
- Coverage used
- 350 sq ft/gal
- Of which gables
- 167 sq ft
- House outline used
- 38.7 ft × 25.8 ft, 9 ft to the eaves
- Using a planning coverage for this siding. The figure on your paint’s data sheet is better; type it under More options.
- Floor-area mode assumes a plain rectangle 1.5 times as long as it is wide. L-shaped houses, bump-outs and porches add wall; measure them for a firmer number.
- Vinyl siding: use a color no darker than the original. Paint makers such as Diamond Vogel warn that a darker color absorbs more heat and can make vinyl warp or buckle; some brands sell “vinyl-safe” color ranges for this.
- For a pre-1978 or unknown-age house, wash at low pressure, mist and hand-scrape onto plastic sheeting laid on the ground (EPA’s rule for contractors calls for 10 ft beyond the work), and don’t dry power-sand. See lead paint safety.
- Trim, fascia, soffits, shutters and doors are not included; they usually take a different color and sheen.
Exterior paint for this house by siding
| Siding | Exterior paint needed | Cans of the size you chose |
|---|---|---|
| smooth siding | 6.67 gal | 7 cans |
| textured lap siding | 7.78 gal | 8 cans |
| rough wood siding | 9.33 gal | 10 cans |
| stucco or masonry | 11.7 gal | 12 cans |
| stucco, elastomeric coating | 23.3 gal | 24 cans |
What to know about a 1,000 sq ft exterior
As a 1.5 : 1 rectangle, 1,000 sq ft is about 39 × 26 ft. Its 129 ft perimeter at 9 ft is 1,162 sq ft of wall, the two gables on a 6/12 roof add about 167 sq ft, and two doors and eight windows take off 162. That leaves 1,167 sq ft per coat.
- 6.67 gallons for two coats. A 5-gallon pail plus two single gallons covers it with a third of a gallon spare. Some stores price two pails close to that; the leftover is useful for the shed or fence.
- Bungalow with a deep porch. The wall behind a covered porch still gets painted; measure it in. Porch ceilings are usually a separate color.
- Textured siding. Wood clapboard planned at 300 sq ft per gallon takes about 7.8 gallons; a stucco cottage about 11.7.
- One coat? Repainting the same color over sound paint, one good coat may do: about 3.3 gallons. Most data sheets still specify two.
Bigger houses scale up from here: how much paint for a 1,500 sq ft house exterior. Before painting, wash the siding and check for flaking paint; on a house built before 1978, read lead paint safety first.
Different size? Use the full Exterior House Paint Calculator.
What you’ll need
- Electric pressure washerMid-range price
Cleans siding, decks and fences before painting. Let wood dry thoroughly before you coat it.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Carbide paint scraperBudget price
Removes loose and flaking paint. On houses built before 1978, follow lead-safe practices first.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Roller covers, 3/8 in and 1/2 in napBudget price
Shorter nap for smooth walls and trim-adjacent work, longer nap for textured ceilings and rough siding. A fresh cover per color saves cleanup.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links to products are affiliate links — they cost you nothing extra and help keep these calculators free.
Frequently asked questions
How much paint for a 1,000 sq ft stucco house?
About 11.7 gallons for two coats at 200 sq ft per gallon.
How much paint for one coat on a 1,000 sq ft house?
About 3.33 gallons: 3 gallons + 2 quarts.
Other common sizes
- How much paint for a 1,500 sq ft house exterior — 8.46 gal: 2 × 5-gal pails
- How much paint for a 2,000 sq ft house exterior — 12.6 gal: 3 × 5-gal pails
Sources
- Sherwin-Williams, A-100 Exterior Latex Flat (A06 series), product data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Coverage 350–400 sq ft per gallon at 4 mils wet; for aluminum, vinyl and wood siding, shakes, masonry; two coats.
- Behr, Premium Plus Exterior Satin Paint (No. 9050), technical data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Coverage 250–400 sq ft per gallon depending on application method and substrate porosity.
- Sherwin-Williams, Loxon Concrete & Masonry Primer/Sealer (A24W8300), product data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Coverage 200–300 sq ft per gallon; about 80 sq ft per gallon on porous, rough stucco.
- Sherwin-Williams, ConFlex XL Smooth High Build Acrylic Coating (CF11W0051), product data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Elastomeric coating for stucco, concrete and CMU: 100–125 sq ft per gallon per coat in a two-coat system (13–16 mils wet); 50–60 sq ft for a one-coat spray system.
- Sherwin-Williams, WoodScapes Exterior Acrylic Solid Color Stain (A15-50 series), product data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Coverage 200–400 sq ft per gallon at 4–8 mils wet; two coats.
- Diamond Vogel, Technical bulletin: Painting vinyl siding (47119-DV) (opens in a new tab) — Don’t paint vinyl siding darker than its original color: a darker color absorbs more heat and can make it warp or buckle. Two coats of acrylic latex.
- US EPA, Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program Rules (opens in a new tab) — Covers homes, child care facilities and kindergartens built before 1978; firms and renovators must be certified.
- US EPA, Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Do-It-Yourselfers (opens in a new tab) — Assume pre-1978 paint has lead unless tested; contain the area, mist before sanding, HEPA vacuum, N-100 respirator, wet cleanup.
- 40 CFR 745.85, Work practice standards (via Cornell LII) (opens in a new tab) — Exterior work: plastic sheeting on the ground extending 10 ft beyond the work. Prohibited: open-flame burning or torching; high-speed machines without shrouds and HEPA vacuum attachments; heat guns at 1,100°F or more.