How much paint for a 1,500 sq ft house exterior?
A single-story 1,500 sq ft house with smooth siding has about 1,481 square feet of wall to paint and needs about 8.46 gallons of exterior paint for two coats: 2 cans of 5 gallons.
How to work it out
- 1,500 sq ft ÷ 1 story = 1,500 sq ft footprint → 47.4 ft × 31.6 ft (1.5 : 1 rectangle)
- Walls: 2 × (47.4 ft + 31.6 ft) × 9 ft = 1,423 sq ft + 2 gables 250 sq ft
- − 2 doors and 10 windows = 1,481 sq ft
- 1,481 sq ft × 2 coats ÷ 350 sq ft/gal = 8.46 gal → 2 cans (8 gallons + 2 quarts)
Fifteen hundred square feet is the classic three-bedroom ranch. As a single story it has a long perimeter and low walls, so the siding area comes out close to the floor area once the gables are added and the windows come out.
Adjust for your project
More options: Pitch · Doors · Coverage …
- Exterior paint needed
- 8.46 gal (32 L)
- Cans of the size you chose
- 2 cans · 5-gallon pail
- Wall area to paint (one coat)
- 1,481 sq ft
- Paint per coat
- 4.23 gal
- Coverage used
- 350 sq ft/gal
- Of which gables
- 250 sq ft
- House outline used
- 47.4 ft × 31.6 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 | 8.46 gal | 2 cans |
| textured lap siding | 9.87 gal | 2 cans |
| rough wood siding | 11.8 gal | 3 cans |
| stucco or masonry | 14.8 gal | 3 cans |
| stucco, elastomeric coating | 29.6 gal | 6 cans |
What to know about painting a 1,500 sq ft ranch
- The outline. As a 1.5 : 1 rectangle, 1,500 sq ft is about 47 × 32 ft, a 158 ft perimeter. At 9 ft to the eaves that is 1,423 sq ft of wall.
- Gables. Two gable ends on a 6/12 roof over a 32 ft width add about 250 sq ft. A hip roof has no gables: set them to 0 and the paint drops by about 1.4 gallons.
- Openings. Two doors and ten windows take off about 190 sq ft, leaving 1,481 sq ft per coat.
- Two pails. Two coats at 350 sq ft per gallon come to 8.46 gallons, inside two 5-gallon pails with about 1.5 gallons spare for touch-ups.
Siding is the big lever. On textured wood clapboard (300 sq ft per gallon) the same house needs about 9.9 gallons; on stucco (200) about 14.8, three pails. An attached garage adds its own walls and door; measure it and add it to the project list.
The two-story version is how much paint for a 2,000 sq ft house exterior; the smaller ranch is how much paint for a 1,000 sq ft house exterior. For what one pail covers, see how much does a 5 gallon bucket of paint cover.
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) - Airless paint sprayerPremium price
Speeds up siding, fences and big empty rooms. Expect to use more paint than the label figure, which leaves out spray loss.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - 5-gallon bucket and roller gridBudget price
Once a job needs more than two gallons, boxing the paint in a bucket keeps the color consistent and a grid replaces the tray.
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 1,500 sq ft stucco house?
About 14.8 gallons for two coats at 200 sq ft per gallon: 3 cans of 5 gallons.
How much paint for a 1,500 sq ft house with a hip roof?
About 7.03 gallons for two coats on smooth siding.
How much paint for a two-story 1,500 sq ft house?
About 11.1 gallons for two coats on smooth siding: 3 cans of 5 gallons.
Other common sizes
- How much paint for a 2,000 sq ft house exterior — 12.6 gal: 3 × 5-gal pails
- How much paint for a 1,000 sq ft house exterior — 6.67 gal: buy 7 gallons
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.