How much paint for a 2,000 sq ft house exterior?
A two-story 2,000 sq ft house with smooth siding has about 2,208 square feet of wall to paint and needs about 12.6 gallons for two coats: 3 cans of 5 gallons.
How to work it out
- 2,000 sq ft ÷ 2 stories = 1,000 sq ft footprint → 38.7 ft × 25.8 ft (1.5 : 1 rectangle)
- Walls: 2 × (38.7 ft + 25.8 ft) × 18 ft = 2,324 sq ft + 2 gables 167 sq ft
- − 2 doors and 16 windows = 2,208 sq ft
- 2,208 sq ft × 2 coats ÷ 350 sq ft/gal = 12.6 gal → 3 cans (13 gallons)
A 2,000 sq ft house is most often two stories over a 1,000 sq ft footprint. Two stories means tall walls, so it has more siding than a ranch of the same size: here about 2,200 sq ft per coat, against roughly 1,700 if it were all on one floor.
Adjust for your project
More options: Pitch · Doors · Coverage …
- Exterior paint needed
- 12.6 gal (47.8 L)
- Cans of the size you chose
- 3 cans · 5-gallon pail
- Wall area to paint (one coat)
- 2,208 sq ft
- Paint per coat
- 6.31 gal
- Coverage used
- 350 sq ft/gal
- Of which gables
- 167 sq ft
- House outline used
- 38.7 ft × 25.8 ft, 18 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 | 12.6 gal | 3 cans |
| textured lap siding | 14.7 gal | 3 cans |
| rough wood siding | 17.7 gal | 4 cans |
| stucco or masonry | 22.1 gal | 5 cans |
| stucco, elastomeric coating | 44.2 gal | 9 cans |
What to know about a 2,000 sq ft exterior
- The outline. 1,000 sq ft per floor as a 1.5 : 1 rectangle is about 39 × 26 ft, a 129 ft perimeter. At 18 ft to the eaves the walls are 2,324 sq ft.
- Gables on a 6/12 roof over 26 ft add about 167 sq ft. Openings: two doors and sixteen windows take off 282 sq ft.
- 12.6 gallons. 2,208 sq ft per coat, two coats, 350 sq ft per gallon: three 5-gallon pails with about 2.4 gallons to spare.
- Single story? The same 2,000 sq ft on one floor (about 55 × 37 ft) comes to around 10 gallons with two fewer windows, because its walls are only 9 ft high even though the perimeter is longer.
On stucco, the same house needs about 22 gallons, five pails. That is also where the first coat over old, porous stucco can run far below 200 sq ft per gallon, so buy the last pail after the first coat shows you the real rate. Second-story work is ladder or scaffold work: plan for it before you plan the paint.
Compare the single-story 1,500 sq ft house exterior. The trim on a house this size, fascia, windows and doors, is a separate gallon or two: see the trim paint calculator.
Different size? Use the full Exterior House Paint Calculator.
What you’ll need
- 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) - 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)
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 single-story 2,000 sq ft house exterior?
About 9.85 gallons for two coats on smooth siding: 2 cans of 5 gallons.
How much paint for a 2,000 sq ft stucco house?
About 22.1 gallons for two coats at 200 sq ft per gallon: 5 cans of 5 gallons.
How much paint for a 2,000 sq ft house with cedar siding?
About 17.7 gallons for two coats at 250 sq ft per gallon: 4 cans.
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 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.