How much paint for a 10×10 room?
A 10 × 10 ft room with 8 ft walls needs about 1.54 gallons of paint for two coats. That is 270 square feet of wall, so buy 2 gallons: a gallon and three quarts is the least that covers it.
How to work it out
- 2 × (10 ft + 10 ft) × 8 ft = 320 sq ft of wall − 1 door × 20 sq ft − 2 windows × 15 sq ft = 270 sq ft
- 270 sq ft × 2 coats ÷ 350 sq ft/gal = 1.54 gal
- Buy 2 gallons (2 cans of the size chosen)
Small rooms are where people most often run short, because a gallon looks like it should be plenty. It covers the first coat of a 10 × 10 room with room to spare, then runs out partway through the second.
Adjust for your project
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- Paint needed
- 1.54 gal (5.84 L)
- Wall paint, cans of the size you chose
- 2 cans · 1-gallon
- Area painted (one coat)
- 270 sq ft
- Paint per coat
- 0.77 gal
- Coverage used
- 350 sq ft/gal
- Coverage is per coat on a smooth, primed wall. Fresh drywall, flat old paint and textured walls soak up more, so if you are near a can boundary, round up.
- Old house? If it was built before 1978, read lead paint safety before you sand or scrape: EPA advises assuming old paint contains lead until it is tested.
Paint for this room by wall height
| Wall height | Area painted (one coat) | Paint needed | Buy (gallons and quarts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft | 270 sq ft | 1.54 gal | 2 gallons |
| 9 ft | 310 sq ft | 1.77 gal | 2 gallons |
| 10 ft | 350 sq ft | 2 gal | 2 gallons |
| 12 ft | 430 sq ft | 2.46 gal | 2 gallons + 2 quarts |
What to know about painting a 10×10 room
The four walls of a 10 × 10 ft room with 8 ft ceilings add up to 320 sq ft. Take off a door and two windows and you have 270 sq ft per coat, 540 sq ft for two. At the 350 sq ft per gallon low end of the data-sheet range that is 1.54 gallons; at 400 it is 1.35.
- Gallon plus quarts, or two gallons? 1.54 gallons is a little more than a gallon and two quarts (1.5), so the least that covers it is a gallon and three quarts. Three quarts nearly always cost more than a gallon, so buy two gallons and keep the rest for touch-ups.
- One coat? At 0.77 gallons, a single coat of the same color is a one-gallon job.
- Furniture and outlets. In a room this size, moving the furniture and taping take longer than the painting. Pull everything to the middle under a drop cloth and remove the outlet covers rather than taping them.
- Nurseries and small offices. For a child’s room, pick a low- or zero-VOC paint and keep the room ventilated for a couple of days before anyone sleeps in it.
One size up is how much paint for a 10x12 room; the ceiling of the same room is how much paint for a 10x10 ceiling.
Different size? Use the full Room Paint Calculator.
What you’ll need
- Canvas drop clothBudget price
Canvas stays put and soaks up drips; plastic is cheaper but slippery underfoot and spreads wet paint.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Paint roller frame and covers (9 in)Budget price
A sturdy 9 in frame and a few 3/8 in nap covers handle smooth drywall. Rougher walls and ceilings want 1/2–3/4 in nap, as the data sheets suggest.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Angled sash brush (2–2½ in)Budget price
For cutting in along ceilings, corners and trim. A nylon-polyester brush is what the latex data sheets recommend.
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 10x10 room with one coat?
About 0.77 gallons: one gallon.
How much paint for a 10x10 room with no windows?
About 1.71 gallons for two coats; buy 2 gallons.
How many quarts of paint for a 10x10 room?
7 cans for two coats (1.54 gallons in all). Past four quarts a gallon is the better buy.
Other common sizes
- How much paint for a 12x12 room — 1.91 gal: buy 2 gallons (walls only, 2 coats)
- How much paint for a 10x12 room — 1.73 gal: buy 2 gallons (walls only, 2 coats)
- How much paint for a 12x14 room — 2.09 gal: buy 2 gallons + 1 quart (walls only, 2 coats)
- How much paint for a small bathroom — 0.73 gal: buy 1 gallon (walls only, 2 coats)
- How much paint for a 12x12 room and ceiling — 1.91 gal walls + 0.82 gal ceiling, 2 coats
- How many litres of paint for a 10x12 room — 6.52 L: 1 × 5 L + 2 × 1 L (walls, 2 coats)
Sources
- Sherwin-Williams, ProMar 200 Zero VOC Interior Latex Eg-Shel (B20 series), product data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Coverage 350–400 sq ft per gallon at 4 mils wet; two coats over primer on drywall; sheen 15–20 units at 85°.
- Sherwin-Williams, ProMar 200 Zero VOC Interior Latex Flat (B30 series), product data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Coverage 350–400 sq ft per gallon at 4 mils wet; sheen 1.5–3.5 units at 85°.
- Benjamin Moore, Regal Select Interior Eggshell (549), technical data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Coverage 400–450 sq ft per gallon at 3.8 mils wet; two coats for full color; eggshell 15–22 units at 85°.
- Behr, Premium Plus Interior Flat Paint (No. 1050), technical data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Coverage 250–400 sq ft per gallon depending on application method and substrate porosity; does not include spray loss.
- 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.